How AI Is Changing the Way We Think in Healthcare
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming healthcare, but the deeper question is this: how is AI reshaping the way clinicians think, decide, and relate to their patients—and what is it doing to our nervous systems in the process? This post explores the subtle cognitive and emotional shifts that occur when human judgment is constantly compared, corrected, or augmented by machines.
Where AI Already Lives in the Exam Room
AI is no longer theoretical in medicine. Clinical decision support tools suggest diagnoses and treatment plans, and imaging algorithms read CT scans and MRIs with increasing accuracy. Triage systems sort patients in emergency departments, and chatbot symptom-checkers often serve as the first point of contact before a human clinician ever enters the picture. Each of these tools influences how physicians frame problems, weigh risks, and trust their own instincts.
For a deeper dive into how I see agentic AI in medicine and the risks of automating the doctor, you can read my related KevinMD piece, “Agentic AI in medicine: the danger of automating the doctor.”
What AI Does to Human Cognition
When a doctor sits beside an algorithm that can flag patterns faster than the human eye, it can sharpen clinical reasoning—but it can also create doubt, over-reliance, or quiet anxiety. Does the clinician start second-guessing their intuition? Do they defer too quickly to the machine when uncertain—or, conversely, ignore helpful prompts to preserve a sense of autonomy? Over time, this dynamic can reshape attention, decision thresholds, and even a physician’s sense of competence and identity.
If you’re interested in how we’re experimenting with this in real life, explore our AI health assessment tool at Prime Vitality Care, which uses data to spark deeper conversations rather than replace clinical judgment.
A Nervous System Under Pressure
These cognitive shifts are not just abstract. They show up in the body as elevated stress, disrupted sleep, shallow breathing, and a background sense of being constantly evaluated or replaceable. The nervous system was built for rhythm, limits, and embodied connection, not for ceaseless comparison with a tireless, data-driven counterpart. When AI tools are introduced without attention to this human physiology, they risk amplifying burnout instead of relieving it.
To see how we address nervous system regulation, circadian health, and stress in the clinic, visit Prime Vitality Care: Wellness & Beauty in San Antonio, TX.
Questions for Readers
As a patient, would you feel more or less safe knowing your doctor is using AI to support their decisions? As a clinician, have you ever felt subtly undermined—or quietly supported—by an algorithm sitting in the background of your workday? What balance would feel right for you between human intuition and machine optimization in the exam room?
Evidence and Emerging Data
Early studies suggest that AI can match or exceed human performance in narrow tasks like image interpretation, while other research points to new forms of “AI-induced frustration” and role confusion among clinicians when tools are poorly integrated. Some surveys indicate patients are open to AI assistance but remain wary of fully automated care, underscoring the importance of trust, transparency, and human presence. Together, these findings highlight that the question is not simply whether AI works, but how it changes relationships, responsibilities, and the experience of care.
For more context on how we’re integrating AI with functional and aesthetic medicine, visit the Prime Vitality Wellness & Dr. Shiv Goel: News & Media Center.
Conclusion: Redefining Partnership, Not Replacement
Ultimately, the real opportunity is not to replace clinicians with AI, but to redefine partnership—between human cognition and machine intelligence, between technology and the living bodies it is meant to serve. The challenge is to design systems that honor human limits, protect nervous systems, and keep meaning, relationship, and presence at the center of care. If we can do that, AI can become a powerful ally rather than a silent source of stress or disconnection.
Read the full article here: https://elejrnl.com/?p=4236506
About the Author
Dr. Shiv Kumar Goel is a board-certified Internal and Functional Medicine physician, aesthetic medicine specialist, and founder of Prime Vitality Wellness in San Antonio, Texas. He pioneers the integration of advanced health technology, including Time Vitality AI, with holistic, mind–body medicine to help patients achieve long-term wellness, longevity, and vitality.