The expert dispelled myths about the "magic pill" of AI in medicine

Despite the active development of medical AI systems, there are still a number of persistent misconceptions around them that prevent clinics from implementing technologies faster and objectively evaluating their capabilities. Maxim Petukhov, IT Director of JSC "Medicine" (Academician Roitberg Clinic), told Izvestia on March 5.

The main myth, he says, is that AI is perceived as an extreme — either as a "magic pill" that can replace a doctor, or as a temporary hobby with no real benefit.

Today, AI in medicine solves a wide range of tasks: from image and video stream analysis to voice communication processing and workflow automation. It is specified that up to 80% of patient requests in text and voice format are already processed using algorithms. This allows you to unload staff and reduce the number of errors: previously, specialists could track no more than 5% of calls, now the entire flow is analyzed, and the number of critical failures has been reduced fivefold — from one per 20 communications to one per 100.

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Another common misconception is the high cost of such technologies, Petukhov added. Practice shows that the introduction of AI often gives a direct economic effect.

"At the same time, no algorithm removes responsibility from the doctor. AI acts as a "second opinion" tool, speeds up the search for important information and highlights anomalies, but the decision remains with the specialist. This is especially true for complex clinical cases where human assessment and experience are required," the expert noted.

In the future, Petukhov added, personalized medicine, predictive analytics and digital patient avatars that will help model treatment scenarios will have a key effect. However, mass adoption will depend on the quality of data and the willingness of medical organizations to build complex ecosystems rather than individual AI modules.

On January 20, it was reported that the demand for specialists with AI experience in Russia has almost doubled — in 2025, the number of vacancies with such requirements has increased by 90%. According to the Avito Jobs study, AI skills were most often in demand among sales professionals.

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