Artificial Intelligence Sees the Image, Radiologists See the Patient

Yee Seng Ng, Antonio C Westphalen
AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2026 May 6. doi: 10.2214/AJR.26.34823. Online ahead of print.
Abstract
Radiology is often portrayed as the medical specialty most vulnerable to replacement by artificial intelligence (AI), potentially impacting medical students' interest in entering the field. In practice, radiologists' work depends on clinical synthesis, judgment under uncertainty, and real-time collaboration within multidisciplinary teams-capabilities that current AI systems lack. Rather than being threatened by AI, radiologists are better served by coevolving with AI, deliberately adapting their skills to meet the demands of future radiology practice.