AI and Healthcare Insights from Dr. Ravi Shah
Updated: Jul 28
Why AI Shouldn’t Replace Thinking, Why Experience Matters, and What Medicine Really Looks Like
As artificial intelligence rapidly changes education and the workplace, students are constantly asking what skills will actually matter in the future. To explore those questions, The Next Seat spoke with Dr. Ravi Shah, a physician and medical educator, about AI, medicine, and the importance of real-world experience.
AI Is a Tool—Not a Substitute
When asked how AI is changing what it means to be prepared for the future, Dr. Shah emphasized that students need to master the fundamentals before relying on technology.
“You need to learn the material first,” he said. “Use AI to supplement what you know—not replace your own knowledge.”
While AI is already being integrated into healthcare, he noted that it isn’t always accurate. Because of that, critical thinking remains one of the most valuable skills students can develop.
Rather than worrying about AI taking jobs, Dr. Shah believes students should focus on learning how to work alongside it.
“Think about how AI can supplement your work instead of replacing your work.”
Don’t Just Use AI—Understand It
Dr. Shah also encouraged students to go one step further by learning how AI actually functions. As a high school student, he enjoyed taking apart computers and experimenting with programming, even though he ultimately chose medicine instead of computer science.
Today, he believes that the same curiosity is becoming essential for everyone. Students don’t need to become software engineers, he explained, but they should understand what AI can and cannot do, how it generates information, and why it sometimes produces incorrect answers.
The more students understand the technology behind AI, the more effectively—and responsibly—they’ll be able to use it.
The Reality of Medicine
For students considering careers in healthcare, Dr. Shah stressed the importance of entering the profession with realistic expectations.
Many students imagine medicine as spending every day helping patients, but modern healthcare also includes significant administrative responsibilities.
“No one goes into medicine because they love typing clinical notes,” he explained.
Physicians often spend large portions of their day documenting patient visits, entering orders, and navigating insurance requirements. While those tasks are necessary, they aren’t the reason most people choose the profession.
Fortunately, AI is beginning to reduce some of that burden by helping physicians generate documentation from patient conversations, allowing doctors to spend more time focused on patient care.
Will AI Change the Doctor-Patient Relationship?
As AI becomes more common in healthcare, Dr. Shah believes one important question remains: What kind of healthcare will patients actually want? Will future generations still value having a long-term relationship with a primary care physician, or will convenience become the priority?
Dr. Shah believes the medical field has work to do.
He argues that doctors need to better communicate the value of strong physician-patient relationships, pointing to evidence that they improve health outcomes, lower costs, and increase patient satisfaction.
Convenience matters—but it shouldn’t always outweigh quality of care.
The Biggest Change Education Needs
If he could change one thing about education today, Dr. Shah’s answer was immediate: more real-world experience.
As a high school student, he volunteered in an emergency room before eventually working there as an emergency room technician throughout college. Those experiences gave him a much deeper understanding of medicine than any classroom could.
He believes students in every field—not just medicine—should seek internships, long-term volunteer opportunities, jobs, and hands-on experiences that allow them to see what a career is actually like.
Final Takeaway
Throughout the conversation, one theme remained consistent: technology will continue to evolve, but curiosity, critical thinking, and hands-on experience will remain timeless advantages.
Students who understand how AI works, build genuine expertise, and actively seek real-world opportunities won’t just adapt to the future—they’ll help shape it.
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