A lesson from the past and the future of artificial intelligence in medical decision-making

Physicians now often face clinical decision-making with vast amounts of various data, readily at hand and requiring integration and interpretation. The need to make decisions in the best interest of patients in a timely manner is especially acute in the neonatal intensive care unit or other critical care environments, where the clinical circumstances are complex, and lives may hang in the balance. Artificial intelligence (AI) may assist physicians by providing easy access to existing knowledge and discerning data patterns, perhaps previously unrecognized. However, whether AI can replace human decision-makers altogether remains an open question, as not all decisions in a patient's best interest are simply based on knowledge or an analysis of the data in the case. Some decisions require wisdom and a moral application of the information, taking into consideration a particular patient, not a "general" one. Not all responsibility or angst can be relieved for the good doctor.