About whether AI will replace radiologists, asked of a practicing radiologist.
Has this happened?
Yes 10 (8%)Not sure 35 (29%)No 76 (63%)
Votes cast 1–2 October 2026: 100,590 votes from 9,694 people.
Hacker News has set AI a lot of challenges over the years. Which ones has it met?
About whether AI will replace radiologists, asked of a practicing radiologist.
Votes cast 1–2 October 2026: 100,590 votes from 9,694 people.
There is a national shortage of radiologists in the US, with many hospital systems facing a backlog of unread cases measuring in the thousands. And, the baby boomers are starting to retire, it's only going to get worse. We aren't training enough new radiologists, which is a different discussion.
Askl to your question on where my confidence stems from, there are both legal reasons and 'not being able to do the work' reasons.
Legal is easy, the most powerful lobby in most states are trial attorneys. They simply won't allow a situation where liability cannot be attached to medical practice. Somebody is getting sued.
As to what I do day to day, I don't think I'm just matching patterns. I believe what I do takes general intelligence. Therefore, when AI can do my job, it can do everyone else's job as well.