Dr. Google is doing his best. As a health care resource, he tries very hard. He answers millions of queries in any language at any hour of the night or day. He is quick, efficient, never complains and will diagnose you if you type your symptoms into the chat box. The only downside to Dr. Google’s medical advice is that he’s often wrong.

Lest you think I am a Luddite, I have no inherent objections to technology. I doubt that the computers will one day become self-aware and wipe out humanity, although the fact that our current reality is increasingly starting to mirror the Terminator movies does give me pause on occasion. But I do believe that artificial intelligence has the potential to be greatly beneficial in medicine.

I’ve seen many physicians use it as a dictation tool to auto-generate medical notes. Admittedly, most physicians are not great note takers. The old joke about doctors’ handwriting being illegible is firmly grounded in reality. The promise........

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