Participants at a São Paulo forum said future doctors should learn to use AI while preserving physicians’ central role in care and patient communication.
Doctors, researchers and business leaders discussed AI in medicine at a meeting in São Paulo on October 5. Dimas Covas, former director of the Butantan Institute, called for AI to be included in university programs and for students to be taught responsible use rather than banned from using the tools.
Pulmonologist and Fiocruz researcher Margareth Dalcolmo said AI would not replace specialists, but could give doctors more time to communicate with patients and focus on prevention. Participants also pointed to the risk of inaccurate answers from generative systems and the need for quality data and human review.
Universidade Brasil president Fernando Costa told CNN Brasil that the school plans to add an AI course to its medical program by the first half of 2027. Digital health specialist Carlos Carvalho discussed preventive systems that bring together a patient’s health data over a lifetime.
Potential applications discussed included telemedicine, genetic information and home monitoring through wearable devices. Participants said progress would require connected health data, trained professionals and a national strategy.