Medical Leaders: AI Decisions Are Not Superior To Clinician Experience

[Ashley Blachford]

Recently, the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American College of Physicians, American College of Surgeons, and American Medical Association issued a joint statement expressing concern about perceptions that AI is “inherently better informed than physicians or that physicians cannot be trusted to make clinical decisions without first consulting this technology.” The groups say their organizations are not rejecting AI in medicine per se. Instead, they are rejecting the idea that AI is superior in making clinical judgment calls. Although the statement doesn’t name any specific group or person who is suggesting the idea that AI is better, the timing seems to imply the professional medical organizations are pushing back on recent political rhetoric discussing AI’s role in medicine. The 6 medical organizations emphasize the fact that practicing medicine isn’t simply an information-retrieval activity. Rather, clinicians interpret information in the context of the individual patient, ask questions, leverage their training and experience, exercise judgment, and assume responsibility for the resulting care.

Avoid sparring with AI: In general, medical societies and colleges of all stripes are against policies that might ultimately pit clinicians against AI technology in a wrestling match over what’s right for a patient. Separately in July 2026, the American College of Emergency Physicians published a similar consensus statement on artificial intelligence developed with 8 other emergency medicine organizations saying that AI should enhance rather than replace clinical judgment while preserving the clinician-patient relationship.


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