Artificial Intelligence will reduce the burden of the doctors, Union minister Anupriya Patel said, adding that fears AI could replace doctors and clinicians are “largely misplaced” and that the technology would rather benefit the entire medical fraternity.
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Patel made the remarks on Tuesday at the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi. “Routine high volume tasks will be carried out by AI and the doctors and specialists can focus on the complex cases or clinical decision-making," she said. The minister further said that non-specialists can benefit from AI, because they would be elevated in their roles and operate at the top of their expertise.
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"So there are a significant number of doctors and clinicians who are convinced with the strength of AI. But then there are also fears that AI might be a threat to doctors and clinicians. AI could replace, and I feel that these fears are largely misplaced. Because AI is here to augment. AI is here to assist. AI cannot replace the clinicians," Patel said.
{{/usCountry}}"So there are a significant number of doctors and clinicians who are convinced with the strength of AI. But then there are also fears that AI might be a threat to doctors and clinicians. AI could replace, and I feel that these fears are largely misplaced. Because AI is here to augment. AI is here to assist. AI cannot replace the clinicians," Patel said.
{{/usCountry}}She said the fears that AI could ever replace clinicians are not really true.
During the session 'Innovation to Impact: AI as a Public Health Game-Changer', Patel said that when India speaks of AI in healthcare, it is not limited to sophisticated algorithms or the promise of precision alone, but is measured by the extent to which technology touches lives and addresses health inequities across the country.
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"AI for India, as our Prime Minister Narendra Modi envisions, is not merely Artificial Intelligence but All-Inclusive Intelligence," Patel said.
Backing the initiatives of AI-intervention in healthcare, Patel cited India's vast and diverse population, the rural-urban divide, and the dual burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases posing a unique challenges.
In such a context, she underscored, technology, particularly AI, becomes an indispensable enabler.
Patel also noted that AI has been integrated across the entire continuum of healthcare – from disease surveillance and prevention to diagnosis and treatment.
She highlighted how the Media Disease Surveillance System, an AI-enabled tool that monitors disease trends in 13 languages, generates real-time alerts, and strengthens outbreak preparedness.