While some doomsayers predict that AI will replace human workers en masse, health system CIOs told Becker’s that healthcare, so reliant on the human touch, is safe. But that doesn’t mean duties won’t change dramatically.
In late February, an investment analyst scenario outlining economic cataclysm caused by AI momentarily jolted the stock market. The authors, from Citrini Research, imagined white-collar job openings “collapsing” in late 2026, with blue-collar hiring staying “relatively stable.”
While healthcare may be best described as “gray-collar,” the sector is still the nation’s largest employer, driving much of the country’s job growth over the past few decades. Could AI change that equation?
“I don’t think mass job replacement in healthcare is likely,” said Will Landry, senior vice president and CIO of Baton Rouge, La.-based FMOL Health. “I do, however, think we’ll see duties shift. I think we’ll see positions move from ‘back end’ to ‘front end.’ We’ll focus more on patient experience, human connections, and interpersonal relationships.”
To Scott Arnold, executive vice president and chief digital and innovation officer of Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital, AI will mostly affect the administrative side of healthcare, with duties shifting over time from “doing the task” to “developing the automation and/or monitoring processes for accuracy.”
And AI could help get healthcare spending under control, he said. The industry now accounts for 18% of the country’s gross domestic product, a number that has nearly tripled over the past 50 years.
“The work in front of us is learning how to wield automation to reduce the cost of healthcare, as we are on an unsustainable path of healthcare cost as a percent of GDP,” Mr. Arnold said. “Ideally, automation done the right way should help stabilize or pull down the cost of high-quality care delivery and give health systems some room to scale growth without exponential increases in labor expense.”
A popular line nowadays says: “AI won’t take your job. Someone using AI will.” Reid Stephan, senior vice president and CIO of Boise, Idaho-based St. Luke’s Health System, called that the “wrong mental model.”
“That idea assumes AI simply makes existing workers more productive,” he said. “What we’re actually seeing is that AI begins to reshape the systems those jobs exist within. When systems change, roles naturally shift.”
In healthcare, he pointed to AI scribes helping clinicians document faster, with an even bigger opportunity around redesigning larger workflows around documentation, coding, billing and care coordination.
“Patients still want humans involved in their care, and healthcare already faces workforce shortages,” Mr. Stephan said. “What we’re far more likely to see is a shift in where humans add value. Less time spent on administrative translation work and more time focused on care, judgment, and patient relationships. The organizations that benefit most from AI won’t just automate tasks — they’ll rethink the system those tasks live in.”
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.