iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

I agreed with much of the controversial JAMA piece on autonomous AI by Zeke Emanuel, Vinod Khosla, Neal Khosla, and Abe Baker-Butler. Given a clean set of clinical facts, AI will often beat MDs on dx & Rx. But there's far more to the story. My new Substack: robertwachter.substack.com/p/on-straw-m...

robertwachter.substack.com

On Straw Men and Doormen

(Gently) Rebutting Khosla and Emanuel on Autonomous AI in Medicine

151

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

My latest Substack: the irony of ChatGPT Health's launch (it's awfully good) coming the same week as the first big lawsuit alleging a serious misdiagnosis caused by AI (in this case, GPT-4o). What does it all mean for the future of patient-facing AI robertwachter.substack.com/p/chatgpt-he...

robertwachter.substack.com

ChatGPT Health

The Waiting Room is Full of Patients – and a Few Lawyers

063

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

A privilege to be interviewed by Michael Howell, Google's Chief Health Officer, for the wonderful "Talks at Google" series. Great questions, including on the shortcomings of the current healthcare system and the history of prior efforts at digital transformation. www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKMW...

youtube.com

Dr. Robert Wachter | A Giant Leap: How AI Is Transforming Healthcare... | Talks at Google

YouTube video by Talks at Google

040

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Of the many interviews I've done on AI and healthcare, this one (at the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley) may be my favorite. The interviewer is the wonderful journalist and author Katie Hafner, who happens to be my wife. www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sZ5...

youtube.com

CHM Live | A Giant Leap: How AI Is Transforming Healthcare

YouTube video by Computer History Museum

171

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Thrilled that my friend and colleague Andy Josephson will be the next dean of the UCSF School of Medicine. Brilliant clinician, gifted teacher, and one of the warmest people I know – he's a perfect fit for the moment. Can't wait to work with him in this role. www.ucsf.edu/news/2026/06...

ucsf.edu

UCSF Taps Andy Josephson as New Dean for the School of Medicine

S. Andrew Josephson, MD, a master clinician and educator who has led UCSF’s top-ranked Department of Neurology since 2017, has been named the next dean of the UCSF School of Medicine and vice chancell...

0131

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

I'll be in conversation with journalist Katie Hafner, talking AI-Meets-Healthcare – the biggest experiment in medical history. June 30, 2026. 7 pm, Computer History Museum in Mountain View & Livestreamed on YouTube. Free! Info/registration: computerhistory.org/events/a-gia...

computerhistory.org

A Giant Leap

Preorder the book, A Giant Leap: How AI Is Transforming Healthcare and What That Means for Our Future, for pick-up at the event here. Despite decades of investment, healthcare has been slow to embrace...

030

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

And congratulations to Carina Marquez for her UCSF Chancellor Award for Public Service — for her amazing work in partnering with the Bay Area community to advance health and healthcare.

030

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

So proud of my work partner Maria Novelero for being recognized with the UCSF Chancellor’s Award for Exceptional University Management. Supremely well deserved. Nobody does or cares more.

030

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

The AI backlash is growing – from graduating seniors to the Pope. Can healthcare, where optimism is warranted, insulate itself? I doubt it. My new Substack: the backlash and healthcare, and why AI's titans should talk more about this (and less about AGI). robertwachter.substack.com/p/when-the-a...

robertwachter.substack.com

When the AI Backlash Hits the Hospital

Why Medicine Can’t Insulate Itself from the Public’s Growing Distrust of AI

020

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

I did 3 new video pods on healthcare AI – great chats with: CNN's Sanjay Gupta on his pod Chasing Life: www.youtube.com/live/c1pGYOG... Chip Kahn on KNN's Biz of Health pod: www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4N6... Stanford Medicine chair Euan Ashley on Future of Medicine pod: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIS4...

youtube.com

AI is in your healthcare. Here’s what to know | Chasing Life

YouTube video by CNN

041

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

I really enjoyed this chat with the amazing Kevin Pho (kevinmd) about AI and healthcare. We talked about knowledge tools (ie, OpenEvidence), med ed, deskilling, scribes, EHRs, and the doctor-patient relationship in the Era of AI. kevinmd.com/2026/04/grad...

kevinmd.com

Gradually, then suddenly: Dr. Robert Wachter on health care's giant AI leap [PODCAST]

Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, Robert Wachter, discusses his book, A Giant Leap: How AI Is Transforming Healthcare and What That Mean...

041

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

My new Substack: Epic, the leading EHR vendor, has released >100 AI tools. Choosing them over third-party tools has become the safe choice for many health systems. I explore why, and the bigger questions: can – and should – something be done about it. robertwachter.substack.com/p/damn-it-th...

robertwachter.substack.com

“Damn it, they’re good”

Why Epic’s Dominance Threatens to Overwhelm Healthcare’s AI Marketplace

060

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

In today's Washington Post, a terrific piece on the risk of AI-based deskilling in medicine, along with some sensible recommendations. I'm quoted, along with Carla Pugh. Authors: Rebecca Adams/Laura Landry. wpintelligence.washingtonpost.com/topics/2026/...

wpintelligence.washingtonpost.com

The AI paradox: How medicine’s embrace of technology could erode doctors’ expertise - WP Intelligence

AI can improve care, but early evidence of skill erosion is raising alarms at hospitals and medical schools

192

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

In Health Affairs Scholar, Bob Kocher, Siobhan Nolan Mangini (both of Venrock) and I argue that – by scaling specialist-level knowledge – AI will create, in essence, the "generalist-specialist." We explore the far-reaching implications for healthcare. academic.oup.com/healthaffair...

academic.oup.com

How AI Will Redefine Care Delivery: The Rise of the Generalist-Specialist

Abstract. Artificial intelligence is transforming healthcare beyond efficiency gains, presenting an opportunity to fundamentally reorganize the clinical wo

151

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

What a joy to chat with my old friend Rob Califf about the FDA under his leadership (under both Obama & Biden), the FDA today, AI regulation, misinformation, clinical research & more. We also discussed his memories of being a UCSF medicine resident back in the day. www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JJd...

youtube.com

AI, Regulation, the Information Ecosystem and the Future of Medical Research

YouTube video by UCSF Department of Medicine

030

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Excellent Rock Health analysis of survey on patients' use of AI tools for health info. Big finding: doubling of use in the past year. Insight: healthcare orgs are implementing AI with lots of guardrails ("tortoise"); patients are diving in ("hare"). I'm quoted. rockhealth.com/insights/the...

rockhealth.com

The tortoise and the hare of care: Health AI insights from Rock Health’s 2025 Consumer Adoption Survey | Rock Health

010

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Another highlight of being on CBS Mornings today was meeting The Pitt star Patrick Ball (who was on the show after me), along with Jon LaPook. It shouldn't be too hard to pick out the real doctors in this picture, vs. the one who plays a doctor on TV.

060

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

A thrill to be on CBS Mornings today talking AI and Healthcare (and about my book, "A Giant Leap") with host Nate Burleson and Dr. Jon LaPook. The interview (4 minutes) is here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfyN...

youtube.com

How AI is transforming health care and what it means for the future

YouTube video by CBS Mornings

020

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Thrilled with today's UCSF Dept. of Medicine residency match! A brilliant group of young physicians, hailing from 32 different med schools (most frequent: UCSF 8; UCLA 6; Harvard & Stanford 5; Columbia, NYU, Yale 3 each). Eight in our MD-scientist program. Welcome!

071

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

I've spent a lot of time thinking about UK healthcare (incl. chairing a 2016 NHS task force on digital transformation). It was great to speak to top UK health policy journalist Alastair McLellan for the Health Services Journal podcast on healthcare AI & "A Giant Leap." www.hsj.co.uk/hsj-health-c...

hsj.co.uk

HSJ Podcast: Bob Wachter on healthcare's AI revolution

HSJ editor Alastair McLellan interviews US physician Bob Wachter about his new book, A Giant Leap, on AI's impact on healthcare.

071

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

The healthcare AI landscape gets more dynamic and interesting each day. My conversation with Roy Perlis, Harvard/MGH professor and AI editor JAMA, on where the field is today, implications for doctors and med education, and more. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

jamanetwork.com

An Interview With Dr Robert M. Wachter

JAMA+ AI Editor in Chief Roy Perlis, MD, MSc, spoke with Robert M. Wachter, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Medicine at University of California, San Francisco, for JAMA+ AI Conversations...

062

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Proud of my wife, Katie Hafner, who built & narrates a superb podcast (@lostwomenofsci.bsky.social) about women who made major contributions in STEM but went unrecognized in life. She spoke w/ Robin Young on NPR's Here&Now about LWOS & this season's subject, K. Blodgett. www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...

wbur.org

New podcast tells story of pioneering female scientist Katharine Burr Blodgett

A new podcast from Lost Women of Science tells the story of Katharine Burr Blodgett, who invented nonreflective glass while working at General Electric, but who is often forgotten.

0130

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

My latest Substack: Why predictions that radiologists will be replaced by AI (including, famously, by genAI founding father and Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton) have been wildly off base, and what that teaches us about job replacement for doctors. robertwachter.substack.com/p/why-do-you...

robertwachter.substack.com

“Why Do You Still Have a Job?”

The Surprising Complexity of Replacing Physicians With AI

062

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

I've known @dgorenstein.bsky.social for 2 decades and have always found him to be extraordinarily thoughtful – not afraid to ask tough questions and to grapple with nuance and, yes, tradeoffs. It was great to chat with him about healthcare AI on his Tradeoffs podcast. tradeoffs.org/2026/03/05/w...

tradeoffs.org

‘We Can’t Afford All These Humans’: A Doctor's Take on AI in Health Care

We talk with physician and writer Bob Wachter about why he’s cautiously optimistic that artificial intelligence will usher in a ‘golden age’ of medicine — and the questions he still has about these po...

031

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

I loved my interview with legendary business analyst & founder of "Business Insider", Henry Blodget, on his podcast, "Solutions." Lots of smart questions about AI and healthcare, and how it'll change what it means to be a doctor and a patient. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...

podcasts.apple.com

Solutions with Henry Blodget

Technology Podcast · Updated Weekly · We hear enough about our problems. Let’s solve them. Every Monday, journalist, analyst and entrepreneur Henry Blodget interviews leading thinkers across business,...

130

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

On PBS: Five things to consider before asking a chatbot for health advice (by Matthew Perrone of AP). Among them: ask two different AIs and see if they agree; don't stay home if you have red flag symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath. I'm quoted. www.pbs.org/newshour/hea...

pbs.org

5 things you should consider before asking an AI chatbot for health advice

Tech companies are pushing new health chatbots, but experts say you still need to talk to your doctor.

051

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

I enjoyed working with an all-star team – the great Lisa Rotenstein of UCSF and David Bates of Brigham & Womens – on this paper describing how to measure return on investment (ROI) for clinician-facing AI tools. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

jamanetwork.com

Measuring the Return on Investment for Clinician-Facing Artificial Intelligence Technologies

This Viewpoint discusses different ways to measure the return on investment on clinician-facing artificial intelligence tools as the technology advances.

062

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

Really enjoyed this conversation with Maiken Scott on her NPR/WHYY show, The Pulse, about my book, "A Giant Leap" – and how AI will shape the future of medicine. whyy.org/episodes/wil...

whyy.org

Will My Doctor Be a Bot? AI and the Future of Medicine

Physician and author Robert Wachter joins us to discuss what AI-powered health care will look like in the near future.

141

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

Pretty great — in its first week out, A Giant Leap just made USA Today’s bestseller list, and is the bestselling book in several categories on Amazon.

090

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

Thanks to David Shaywitz for his terrific review of "A Giant Leap" in today's Wall Street Journal. "Patients, [Wachter] contends, will always need a trusted human guide. Readers of his book will be grateful to have found one." www.wsj.com/arts-culture...

wsj.com

‘A Giant Leap’ Review: Disruption for Doctors

Digital innovation in healthcare has proceeded in fits and starts. Will generative artificial intelligence solve more problems than it creates?

061

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

This is pretty cool. Just a few days after its publication, "A Giant Leap" is the bestselling book on AI on Amazon's entire ebook list.

1110

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

I loved this chat for the New England Journal of Medicine's leadership podcast on AI and healthcare with my friend Tom Lee, Harvard professor, Chief Medical Officer of Press Ganey, and one of the most thoughtful people in medicine. catalyst.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

catalyst.nejm.org

Beyond the Hype: How AI Is Finally Delivering on Digital Health’s Promise

After a decade of disappointment with electronic health records that turned physicians into data-entry clerks, generative AI is emerging as the transformative force that will restore the physician-...

041

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

With the launch of “A Giant Leap,” there’ll be lots of great podcasts on which I discuss AI & healthcare. Today: Health Affairs Podyssey (w/ HA editor Rob Lott): www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/h... Health & Veritas (w/ Yale’s Harlan Krumholz & Howie Forman): insights.som.yale.edu/podcasts/hea...

healthaffairs.org

Podcast: Will AI Fix Health Care? Robert Wachter Weighs In | Health Affairs Podcast

Health Affairs' Rob Lott interviews Dr. Robert Wachter, Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine at UCSF, about his new book A Giant Leap: How AI Is Transforming Healthcare and What That Mean...

041

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

Today is publication day for "A Giant Leap: How AI is Transforming Healthcare..." Please buy, review, discuss, and tell your friends! On Substack today, I tell the story of how the book came to be, including picking a title & a cover, narrating the audiobook, etc. substack.com/home/post/p-...

substack.com

Capturing Lightning in a Bottle

The Unique Challenges of Writing a Book on AI and Healthcare

060

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

Thanks to noted futurist Jeff Goldsmith for his lovely and insightful review of A GIANT LEAP in today's Health Affairs journal. "... an island of calm and thoughtful commentary in the midst of an exhausting wave of hype.... Highly recommended." www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...

healthaffairs.org

A Voice Of Calm Amidst The AI Hype Storm | Health Affairs Forefront

Jeff Goldsmith reviews “A Giant Leap,” a thoughtful new book about how artificial intelligence is transforming health care, by Robert Wachter.

073

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

On tonight's All Things Considered on NPR, I discuss patients' use of AI for health. While there are risks, many patients benefit. Overall, I favor tools that guide patients through their symptoms (with iterative Q's & A's) rather than general tools like GPT or Gemini. www.npr.org/transcripts/...

npr.org

The benefits of AI in health care outweigh potential hazards, many experts say

ChatGPT Health is OpenAI's foray into medicine, and so far, it gets high marks from both a cancer patient and a leading doctor. But there are worries it could be misused.

1204

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

AI doesn't need to be perfect to outperform our healthcare system's woeful status quo. It just needs to be better. In many cases, it already is. In today's New York Times, I explore this idea – a central theme of my upcoming book, A Giant Leap (out Feb 3). www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | Stop Worrying, and Let A.I. Help Save Your Life

181

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

My new Substack: This week's announcements of ChatGPT Health and Utah's new system that permits AI to refill prescriptions are both interesting in their own right. But together, they usher in the "AI Doctor" era. The implications are enormous. open.substack.com/pub/robertwa...

open.substack.com

The Week That AI Crossed the Line

Why ChatGPT Health and Utah’s AI Prescribing Law Mark the Beginning of the “AI Doctor” Era

083

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

A nice summary of the implications of ChatGPT Health @TIME – with a focus on whether you should trust @OpenAI with your health data. Quotes by me, Adam Rodman, Danielle Bitterman, others. time.com/7344997/chat...

time.com

Is Giving ChatGPT Health Your Medical Records a Good Idea?

We asked experts the potential risks and benefits of turning over your health data to an AI tool.

050

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

A very exciting book day in my household – on the same day I received my copy of Zeke Emanuel's new book (which I'm psyched to read), a pre-pub copy of my new book showed up as well. Mine will be publicly available on Feb 3, but available for pre-order now.

1193

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 28/12/2025

Thanks to David Pogue and CBS Sunday Morning for interviewing me for their "Good News You May Have Missed in 2025" story, discussing AI and healthcare and featuring my upcoming book, "A Giant Leap." (Segment begins at 5:10.) www.cbsnews.com/news/good-ne...

cbsnews.com

Good news you may have missed in 2025

The bad news from the past year (and there was a lot of it) drowned out much of the GOOD news that made smaller headlines. David Pogue reports on some of 2025's best underreported stories.

0111

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

With all the talk about AI and jobs, there has been surprisingly little discussion about healthcare. In my new Substack, I explore whether there will be a healthcare AI Job Apocalypse – a key question since healthcare has been the US's most reliable employment engine. substack.com/inbox/post/1...

substack.com

Will The AI Jobpocalypse Hit Healthcare?

It Depends on Which Jobs You’re Talking About

041

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Just in: Next review of A GIANT LEAP, from Publishers Weekly (starred): Evenhanded & insightful…clearly & concisely explains the...technology & its possible medical uses & makes a convincing case that AI will usher in 'something of a golden age in healthcare.' www.publishersweekly.com/9798217044245

publishersweekly.com

A Giant Leap: How AI Is Transforming Healthcare and What That Means for Our Future by Robert Wachter

Wachter (The Digital Doctor), chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, offers an even...

080

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

My latest post on Substack is my effort to answer a trillion-dollar question: "Is healthcare AI in a bubble?" robertwachter.substack.com/p/is-healthc... My answer is both yes AND no – depending on whether you're asking about the technology or the startups.

robertwachter.substack.com

Is Healthcare AI in a Bubble?

The Technology is Real. But So Will Be the Shakeout

040

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

Exciting: The first official review of A GIANT LEAP, my upcoming (Feb 3) book on AI-meets-healthcare, in Kirkus Reviews: “An accessible, often fascinating primer on AI tools changing clinical practice—for better or worse.... Essential, illuminating reading.” www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews...

kirkusreviews.com

A GIANT LEAP | Kirkus Reviews

Powerful AI tools for the medical industry are already shaping our digital shadows, diagnosing disease, recommending treatments, and quietly redefining the doctor-patient relationship.

150

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

My new post on Substack: Why patient-facing healthcare AI is a good idea, but general-purpose chatbots like GPT are probably not the right tool for the job. robertwachter.substack.com/p/we-need-me...

robertwachter.substack.com

We Need Medical AI for Patients

But ChatGPT Isn't It

081

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

What happens when patients use chatbots for medical advice. Great @nytimes story by ‪@teddyrosenbluth.bsky.social‬ & @maggieastor.bsky.social. I'm quoted, along with @adamrodmanmd.bsky.social & @epatientdave.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/w...

nytimes.com

Frustrated by the Medical System, Patients Turn to A.I.

051

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

Precision Medicine – making clinical decisions based on nuanced analyses of patients' personal characteristics, including genetics – has been "just around the corner" for >30 years. In my new Substack, I describe why AI is poised to deliver on the promise. robertwachter.substack.com/p/can-ai-fin...

robertwachter.substack.com

Can AI Finally Deliver on Precision Medicine’s Promise?

Yes, But Only If We Nail Both the Biology and Decision Support

160

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

Signing off from another great UCSF Management of the Hospitalized Patient conference. #UCSFMHP2025 Thanks to wonderful speakers and 500 very engaged participants! See you next year in SF, October 15-17. 2026.

060