Generative AI in Healthcare Needs Cognitive PPE and Boundaries - Not Tinfoil Hats
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Contributed by: Kate Gamble
Summary
In this article, Graham Walker, MD, argues that while generative AI offers enormous potential to boost efficiency and reduce cognitive load in medicine, it also poses the risk of eroding clinical reasoning and critical thinking. Citing a Microsoft study, he highlights a “confidence paradox” where high trust in AI leads to less effort and scrutiny from users, while self-confidence prompts more active evaluation of AI output. He warns that unchecked reliance—whether in routine tasks or during training—can act like a crutch that weakens foundational skills, as shown in a Turkish school study where students using unguarded GPT tutors performed worse when the AI was withdrawn.Walker maintains that medical education must embed safeguards—akin to cover-page methods for EKGs—that compel learners and clinicians to think independently, ensuring AI functions as a cognitive partner rather than a replacement, preserving long‑term judgment and expertise.
