In a broad symposium presentation, ophthalmology leaders covered the positive and negative impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies in ophthalmic education and clinical practice.

The session at the American Academy of Ophthalmology 2024 Annual Meeting in Chicago featured a panel including Eduardo P. Mayorga, MD, Prashant Garg, MD, Karl C. Golnik, MD, Giselle C. Ricur, MD, and Ana Gabriela Palis, MD. Their presentations covered everything from the basics of AI technologies, and specific uses in both education and clinical practice, to the ethics of AI, and best practices for digital devices in a classroom setting.

While the discussion was broad, several general themes were present throughout the session. AI might make numerous tasks faster, simpler, and in many cases more effective, but it cannot replace the expertise of trained medical professionals and should not be used without clear ethical and operational guidelines.

Dr. Mayorga stressed the value of ensuring students understand how to use AI tools and the need to search for independent support for any AI-generated information. Dr. Ricur made a similar point, while noting that AI systems need to be free of bias to be effective in a medical setting, and that means subject-matter experts will be needed to evaluate what those systems recommend. Transparency is critical and it is the responsibility of medical professionals to safeguard health-care data and especially patient information.