Doha: A new study conducted by researchers at the Academy of Silesia in Poland has revealed that the growing use of artificial intelligence in healthcare could lead to a decline in the skills of medical practitioners, amid the rapid spread of smart technologies in diagnosis and treatment. According to Qatar News Agency, the study focused on medical practitioners performing early detection tests for bowel cancer through colonoscopy, a procedure used to identify and remove adenomas before they develop into full cancers.

AI technologies contributed to the development of computer-assisted systems for detecting such growth, increasing doctors' ability to identify more cases. However, the researchers sought to determine whether persistent dependence on AI negatively affects doctors' performance when conducting examinations without these technologies.

To this end, the team analyzed 1,442 colonoscopy procedures performed by doctors before and after AI systems were introduced in several centers in 2021. The results showed a 6% decline in adenoma detection rates after adopting AI.

"This is literally the first study indicating the negative impact of routine AI use on healthcare professionals' ability to complete patient-related tasks in any field of medicine," said Dr. Marcin Romanczyk, one of those who participated in this study. Romanczyk added that the findings are concerning amid the accelerated adoption of AI, and there is an urgent need for further research on the impact of AI on healthcare workers' skills across different medical domains.