Healthcare AI in 2026: From Novelty to Normalcy — A Fireside Chat
Artificial intelligence is moving fast in health care—but what will actually stick? In this Medical Grand Rounds fireside chat, Bob Wachter will explore how AI is shifting from novelty to everyday tool, and what that transition means for clinicians, health systems, and patients. The discussion will dig into the limits of the “human in the loop” model, along with the real-world business and clinical factors that will determine whether AI improves care—or complicates it.
Speaker:
Bob Wachter, MD, is professor and chair of the Department of Medicine at UCSF. He coined the term hospitalist in 1996 and is widely regarded as a founder of the field. A past president of the Society of Hospital Medicine and former chair of the American Board of Internal Medicine, he is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine. In 2015, Modern Healthcare named him the most influential physician-executive in the U.S. He is the author of the 2015 book, The Digital Doctor, which was a New York Times bestseller. His new book is A Giant Leap: How AI Is Transforming Healthcare—and What That Means for Our Future.
Program:
Michelle Mourad: Introduction
2:30-56:00 — Bob Wachter, MD
56:00-1:03:14 — Q&A
See previous Medical Grand Rounds:
February 3: Common Neurologic Problems, Changing Decisions: Updates for Internal Medicine
• https://youtu.be/M9YzG7cM9Xg
January 27: Hollander Rounds: A Clinical Problem-Solving Case
• https://youtu.be/Ff8qOsJEaA4
January 20: Eat Your Ice Cream: Re-Examining Wellness in Medicine
• https://youtu.be/zUiQ7CZq6UY
January 13: Immunotherapy in Melanoma: Where Are We Going From Here?
• https://youtu.be/XudZm9uHQ1Q
Artificial intelligence is moving fast in health care—but what will actually stick? In this Medical Grand Rounds fireside chat, Bob Wachter will explore how AI is shifting from novelty to everyday tool, and what that transition means for clinicians, health systems, and patients. The discussion will dig into the limits of the “human in the loop” model, along with the real-world business and clinical factors that will determine whether AI improves care—or complicates it.
Speaker:
Bob Wachter, MD, is professor and chair of the Department of Medicine at UCSF. He coined the term hospitalist in 1996 and is widely regarded as a founder of the field. A past president of the Society of Hospital Medicine and former chair of the American Board of Internal Medicine, he is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine. In 2015, Modern Healthcare named him the most influential physician-executive in the U.S. He is the author of the 2015 book, The Digital Doctor, which was a New York Times bestseller. His new book is A Giant Leap: How AI Is Transforming Healthcare—and What That Means for Our Future.
Program:
Michelle Mourad: Introduction
2:30-56:00 — Bob Wachter, MD
56:00-1:03:14 — Q&A
See previous Medical Grand Rounds:
February 3: Common Neurologic Problems, Changing Decisions: Updates for Internal Medicine
• https://youtu.be/M9YzG7cM9Xg
January 27: Hollander Rounds: A Clinical Problem-Solving Case
• https://youtu.be/Ff8qOsJEaA4
January 20: Eat Your Ice Cream: Re-Examining Wellness in Medicine
• https://youtu.be/zUiQ7CZq6UY
January 13: Immunotherapy in Melanoma: Where Are We Going From Here?
• https://youtu.be/XudZm9uHQ1Q
