Physicians Arya Rao and Marc Succi write that artificial intelligence has enabled an unregulated parallel medical system in which patients access diagnostic tools, lab testing, and prescriptions through consumer AI products such as chatbots and telehealth apps without physician oversight. They argue that while AI performs well on narrow clinical benchmarks, it lacks the tacit clinical reasoning built through years of medical training and cannot be held accountable when its recommendations cause harm. The authors contend that current AI medical products function as substitutes for clinical judgment rather than as tools that support the doctor-patient relationship.
