By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Will Technology Eliminate Doctors in the Future?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Technology > Medical Innovations > Will Technology Eliminate Doctors in the Future?
Medical InnovationsPolicy & Law

Will Technology Eliminate Doctors in the Future?

Stewart Gandolf
Stewart Gandolf
Share
3 Min Read
future of medicine
SHARE

If you’re a doctor—or plan a medical or healthcare marketing career—you can take a seat. There is (or will be) an app for that. If the futurologists are right, technology will eliminate doctors (and the need for physician marketing) in just a couple of decades. Agree or disagree? Let us know what you think about this future view. Here’s some of the evidence that’s reshaping our tech-driven world. Technology, computers, software and robots are replacing people and processes in ways that would have sounded like fanciful science fiction a few years ago. Consider that:

  • Airbnb, a global hotel business, doesn’t own any hotels or BnBs
  • Amazon became the largest retail business with no retail stores
  • Digital cameras don’t use film and require no chemical processing
  • Uber, a major transportation company, doesn’t own cars or taxis

Above and beyond the personal wearable devices that count calories or record physical activity, IBM’s Watson is adept at medical decision-making and diagnosis. Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems are “learning” to interpret Xrays, MRIs, and other images as a radiologist does today. And the payoff for the Qualcomm Tricorder X prize is approaching. Named after the fictional Star Trek medical device, scientific teams are in competition to build an automatic, non-invasive device that can diagnose over a dozen medical conditions. (Grand Prize is $10 Million.) If—or maybe when—someone pulls it off, diagnostic capabilities will be less doctor-reliant, and widely available. Robots replacing doctors? Some highly intelligent people who study what the world will look like in the not-so-distant future predict that machines (AKA highly skilled robots) will replace doctors, lawyers and accountants within 20 years. Lynda Gratton, professor of management practice at London Business School, and futurologist David A. Smith compiled a forward-looking report about future jobs. Some work, they conclude, will be done more efficiently by AI machines. “Futurologist David A. Smith said in many sectors machines will produce better solutions to problems than the average human,” the Mirror reported. “As a result of advances in machine learning, the task of interrogating large amounts of data is likely to become fully-automated, making jobs with any systematic component vulnerable. In fields such as law, accountancy, and medicine, machines are likely to produce generally better answers than humans.” What do you think? IBM’s Watson is a supercomputer that thrives on working with, and learning from, massive amounts of data. OK. Advantage, AI robot. That said, we have to wonder how Watson would be graded by the typical human being who expects a face-to-face, human provider in a doctor’s office? The final score is due in about 20 years. There is no doubt that modern medical science and healthcare delivery systems will be different and better in the future.  

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

senior living communities
BusinessGlobal HealthcareHospital Administration

HealthKeeperz President Reflects on 50 Years of Healthcare

October 5, 2022

Doctors 2.0 and You: Conference, Community, and Medical Association #doctors20

July 22, 2015

Neither Rain, Nor Snow, Nor Sleet, Nor Hail… But Health Care Costs Stop the Postman

August 1, 2012

DaVinci Robot Fails to Start During Prostate Cancer Surgery

December 17, 2011
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?