The Pitt offers a keen perspective on AI

Every episode of HBO’s The Pitt showcases various instances of medical emergencies that nearly transform the hospital narrative into a thriller. Some individuals endure severe wounds, while others combat aggressive infections that threaten to lead to amputations, and the tumult of emergency room operations frequently leaves The Pitt’s primary figures rattled. However, as startling as some of The Pitt’s more graphic sequences may be, what’s ultimately more disturbing is the show’s gradually developing subplot regarding the implementation of generative artificial intelligence in hospitals.

In its sophomore season, The Pitt once again details all occurrences that unfold during a single 15-hour shift at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center’s emergency department. The second season occurs on the Fourth of July — a peak day for hospitals — as lead physician Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch (Noah Wyle) is completing his last shift before embarking on a well-deserved break. With Dr. Robby set to be away for a quarter of a year, the hospital recruits Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi) to steer the emergency department during his absence. While there’s some friction stemming from personality differences between the attending doctors, Dr. Robby largely respects Dr. Al-Hashimi’s management style except when she advocates for the usage of an AI-enhanced transcription tool in the hospital.

Though the current season begins on a relatively peaceful note, the situation escalates into a more chaotic environment for the characters of The Pitt as the facility fills with patients in dire need of care. Managing her responsibilities proves particularly challenging for second-year resident Dr. Trinity Santos (Isa Briones) since she struggles to find enough time to attend to all her patients and meticulously document their symptoms in the medical records.

Dr. Al-Hashimi acknowledges the shortcomings of AI-generated transcripts, yet she sees Dr. Santos as an ideal candidate who could expedite her charting process with the aid of such technology. To the fictional software’s credit, it does correctly transcribe a majority of Dr. Santos’ verbal notes. Both physicians are astounded when a surgeon bursts into the ER in a fit of anger after reviewing charts that contain blatant errors which could lead to patients receiving inappropriate treatments.

Instead of rushing into a narrative centered on “generative AI is harmful and hazardous,” The Pitt takes its time to delve into the motivations behind why medical staff might wish to adopt this technology and emphasizes the need for cautious consideration. Dr. Al-Hashimi urges her medical students and residents to utilize the transcription tool, while also stressing the necessity of verifying any output produced by AI, as they hold ultimate accountability for patient care. Each of Dr. Al-Hashimi’s cautions appears to resonate with The Pitt acknowledging real-life cases of patients suing healthcare facilities for surgical errors involving AI applications and assessments showing that large language models can be unreliable in accurately predicting health outcomes.

The Pitt also leverages Dr. Al-Hashimi’s enthusiasm for AI to underscore that integrating this technology into professional environments may actually generate additional work (see: verifying transcriptions) while leading to increased burnout. Initially, Dr. Al-Hashimi appears to fulfill the role of a primary antagonist this season, but The Pitt’s writers have astutely chosen to highlight a broader theme.

This season of The Pitt has consistently pointed out that technology can only address certain issues when it’s not truly tailored to tackle the underlying problems. AI-driven transcription might assist Dr. Santos in completing charts more swiftly (with occasional inaccuracies). However, the software does little to rectify the fact that the emergency department is understaffed, or when medical personnel suddenly have to accommodate a larger patient influx due to another facility being placed on lockdown.

The manner in which characters such as Dr. Santos and nurses like Dana Evans (Katherine LaNasa) become overwhelmed by demanding patients who have spent prolonged periods in overcrowded waiting areas mirrors the real-life challenges faced by hospitals nationwide. In order to effectively manage their workloads, The Pitt’s emergency room staff truly requires additional assistance and more capacity to provide adequate patient care. However, with the nation grappling with nurse shortages and the fictional hospital’s continuous lack of funding, it’s understandable that administrators would seek to enhance efficiency using AI.

The Pitt could easily (and may yet do so before the season concludes) tell a narrative about how mistakes arising from the use of generative AI result in surgical errors that expose healthcare workers to litigation. Nevertheless, the series is justified in emphasizing the fact that there are significant workplace dilemmas that can’t simply be rectified by introducing new technological solutions.