Image - the speaker and his book cover
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Live Stream

Dr. Bob Wachter: How AI Is Transforming Health Care and What That Means for Our Future

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Artificial intelligence can now match and sometimes surpass physicians in areas such as diagnosis to empathy. What does that mean for doctors, patients, and the future of our health care? Join us for a look at AI in medicine from the physician who has more than a dozen times ranked as one of the 50 most influential physician-executives in the United States by Modern Healthcare magazine, Robert Wachter, M.D. 

Wachter will sift out the facts from the hype and make a compelling argument for AI’s power to transform health care. He says that the system is currently buckling under the weight of bureaucratic pressures, soaring costs, and clinician burnout; in that environment, AI doesn’t have to be perfect, just better. 

Wachter conducted extensive research and more than 100 interviews with leaders in medicine, technology, policy and business; he presented the results in his new book A Giant Leap: How AI is Transforming Healthcare and What That Means for Our Future. In it, he also considers challenges such as AI hallucinations, biases and misinformation. Yet AI is already in hospitals and clinics drafting notes, answering patient questions, recommending treatments, interpreting images, and guiding surgeries. 

Will this collaboration of humans and technology be successful in the long term? Will it become the savior of health care or just another source of harm and frustration?

Notes

This program has 2 types of tickets available: in-person and online-only. Please pre-register to receive a link to the live-stream event.

If you have symptoms of illness (coughing, fever, etc.), we ask that you either stay home or wear a mask. Our front desk has complimentary masks for members and guests who would like one.

Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California is a nonprofit public forum; we welcome donations made during registration to support the production of our programming.

Wachter photo by Susan Merrell; photo courtesy the speaker.

Commonwealth Club World Affairs is a public forum. Any views expressed in our programs are those of the speakers and not of Commonwealth Club World Affairs.

All ticket sales are final and nonrefundable.

Mon, Feb 9 / 6:00 PM PST

The Commonwealth Club of California
110 The Embarcadero
Taube Family Auditorium
San Francisco, CA 94105
United States

Speakers
Image - Robert Wachter

Dr. Robert Wachter

Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Author of “A Giant Leap: How AI Is Transforming Healthcare and What That Means for Our Future”

Image - DJ Patil

In Conversation with DJ Patil

Former U.S. Chief Data Scientist, General Partner, GreatPoint Ventures, Member, Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California Board of Governors

Format

5:30 p.m. doors open & check-in
6–7 p.m. program
7 p.m. book signing
(all times Pacific Time)

COST

In-person: 
$25
$57 with a book 
Free for Leadership Circle members and students (without a book)
Online: 
$10
$42 with a book 
Free for Leadership Circle members and students (without a book)