Zoom will now use an AI-powered medical notetaker for telehealth visits

Earlier this month, CEO Eric Yuan declared Zoom’s future isn’t video conferencing, it’s AI for work. Now, Zoom has announced it’s partnering with Suki, a startup for AI-powered medical notetaking.

Zoom plans to use Suki’s AI engine, Suki Platform, to generate clinical notes and incorporate AI capabilities into its solution to improve patient care, or as it describes, to “power ambient clinical documentation supporting Zoom telehealth visits and in-person visits.”

Suki Platform already reaches nearly one million clinicians in the U.S.

The video-conferencing company’s new Zoom Workplace for Clinicians, which it will be rolling out with its upcoming Zoom AI Companion 2.0, will help doctors automate their workflow by transcribing notes, summarizing patient consultations, creating meeting write-ups, helping to compose follow-up emails, and even highlighting medical details.

Zoom is now used for more than one-third of all telehealth visits in the U.S., according to Definitive Healthcare.

According to Zoom, both doctors and patients will be notified when Suki Platform is being used. “As part of our responsible approach to AI, we show when a response is generated by AI, cautioning users to check for accuracy,” Smita Hashim, chief product officer at Zoom, told Fast Company. “Participants are informed that AI Companion is being used when the clinician turns it on, and customers have expansive controls to manage AI capabilities.”

Hashim also added that the technology reduces documentation overhead by up to 70%.

On one hand, AI-powered medical transcription tools seem like a good thing. Who doesn’t like the idea of cutting down on doctors’ paperwork so they can spend more time with you during your appointment? One survey of physicians found 65% recognized the potential benefits of AI.

However, nearly 70% also expressed some level of concern. New artificial intelligence tools meant to help overworked doctors may seem like a positive advancement, but the new technology raises questions about accuracy and privacy, and whether it’s sufficient when it comes to a person’s health. (For example, imagine an AI transcription missing a crucial word that could affect a patient’s diagnosis or medical treatment.)

Zoom is part of an industry-wide trend

Zoom isn’t the only company jumping on the AI medical-transcription bandwagon.

Microsoft’s Nuance provides AI-powered notetaking tools for medical practitioners. The tech giant is seeing AI adoption within healthcare grow, with 79% of healthcare organizations reporting that they’re currently using AI technology, according to a Microsoft-commissioned study.

Amazon is also developing artificial intelligence solutions, like HealthScribe, a HIPAA-eligible service that uses generative AI to automatically create clinical notes from doctor-patient conversations.

“The AI-generated notes cite every detail directly from the recorded conversation transcript for transparency,” according to an article on Amazon’s corporate website about how it’s transforming healthcare. “Doctors can quickly review and approve the notes before entering them into health records, saving valuable time while ensuring accuracy. . . . The result is more efficient, collaborative, and satisfying visits for clinicians and patients alike.”