AI is the New Nuclear Power; Use It Ethically and Do Not Become Its Slave: PGI Director

Chandigarh:  Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative force in healthcare but its growing power must be accompanied by ethics, accountability, clinical judgement and human compassion said Prof Vivek Lal ,Director, PGIMER, while addressing the Sixth Foundation Day of the Department of GI Surgery,HPB and Liver transplant PGIMER, Chandigarh.
Delivering the keynote address as the Chief Guest, Prof Lal described AI as “the new nuclear power”, emphasising that its enormous potential can benefit patients only when harnessed responsibly and judiciously. “AI is the new nuclear power. If nuclear power is used in the wrong way, then you are going to have Hiroshima and Nagasaki soon. Ethics is absolutely mandatory if we have to use AI for a good cause, for an enlightened purpose,” Prof Lal said.

He underlined that AI should be regarded as a powerful aid to clinical decision-making rather than a substitute for the experience and judgement of doctors. Recalling his own long clinical experience, *Prof. Lal described himself humorously as a “dinosaur” who continues to believe in “NI—Natural Intelligence.”* He said that the rigorous training and experience acquired at PGIMER give its doctors an important advantage. Experience is something that AI cannot replicate. It kicks you, it hits you hard and it hits you where it hurts the most—and you gain experience from it,” he remarked.

 Prof. Lal also raised an important emerging ethical and legal question concerning AI in healthcare: when an AI-assisted clinical decision goes wrong, who bears responsibility? Referring to a recent legal matter in which questions had arisen regarding the possible use of AI in a clinical case, he said such situations underline the need for clear ethical and accountability frameworks as AI becomes increasingly integrated into medicine.

“ Everyone uses AI in one form or the other, but we have to understand how to evaluate it rationally. Gulam na bano AI ke—do not become a slave to AI,” he cautioned.

At the same time, Prof. Lal acknowledged that AI offers clinicians a significant technological edge. Referring to AI-generated visualisations and applications demonstrated during the programme, he observed that the technology is already making an impact on modern healthcare and surgical practice. However, he stressed that the strongest outcomes would emerge from the combination of advanced technology with sound clinical foundations and experience.