AI at the Bedside: What It Means for Your Health

Watch the full episode with Dr. Rodman here at SpecificallyforSeniors.com.

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Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept. It’s already in the exam room, in your pocket, and increasingly, in the conversation between you and your doctor.

This week, I sat down with Dr. Adam Rodman — a practicing physician, Harvard professor, and one of the most credible voices working at the intersection of medicine and technology — to talk about what AI actually means for patients right now. Not in theory. Right now.

Dr. Rodman is a general internist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, and the Director of AI Programs at the Carl J. Shapiro Center for Education and Research. He leads Harvard Medical School’s task force on integrating AI into the medical curriculum, serves as an associate editor at the New England Journal of Medicine AI, and is the host of Bedside Rounds, the American College of Physicians podcast on the history and evolution of medicine. He’s also the author of Shortcuts: Navigating Your Way Through Big Ideas.

Earlier this year, Dr. Rodman wrote a widely read guest essay in The New York Times titled “Take It from a Doctor: It’s OK to Use AI for Medical Advice” — arguing that patients who consult AI before seeing their doctor aren’t doing something reckless. They may actually be making the visit better.

That essay is where our conversation begins.

In this episode, we cover:

How AI is already being used in clinical settings — and what that looks like from the doctor’s side of the room
Ambient scribe technology: what it is, how it works, and why it’s changing the way physicians practice
The real limits of AI — including the problem of “sycophancy” in large language models
Why arriving at your appointment with AI-assisted research can help, not hinder, the doctor-patient relationship
Privacy: what patients should understand before sharing health information with an AI tool
How Harvard Medical School is preparing the next generation of physicians to work alongside AI

This is a conversation I think many of you have been waiting for. The questions around AI and health can feel overwhelming — or even a little scary. Dr. Rodman cuts through the noise with honesty, nuance, and genuine care for patients.

Give it a listen. Then come back here and tell me what you think.

👉 Join the conversation at larrybarshdmd.substack.com

I read every comment, and I’d love to know: Have you ever used AI to research a health question? Did it help? Did it worry you? What questions do you wish you’d asked your doctor?

This community is one of the best parts of doing this work — your voices, your experiences, and your wisdom make every episode richer. Don’t be shy.

— Dr. Larry Barsh.

Listen to the Episode

This episode of Specifically for Seniors is available wherever you listen to podcasts. Video version of the podcast is available on our website at SpecificallyforSeniors.com and at YouTube.com/@specificallyforseniors. Subscribe to be notified when new episodes are released.

Specifically for Seniors is hosted by Dr. Larry Barsh and dedicated to empowering, informing, and inspiring the senior community. New episodes explore the topics that matter most at this stage of life — with the experts and voices who understand them best.