About whether o1 out-diagnosing triage doctors from text means AI can replace doctors.
Has this happened?
Yes 7 (5%)Not sure 48 (36%)No 78 (59%)
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 o1 out-diagnosing triage doctors from text means AI can replace doctors.
Votes cast 1–2 October 2026: 100,590 votes from 9,694 people.
AI beating doctors on text-based diagnosis isn't surprising. LLMs are pattern-matching machines trained on millions of medical cases. But the real test is the physical exam. Can AI tell the difference between someone faking pain and someone with a ruptured appendix? Between a panic attack and a heart attack? That's what doctors do that AI can't.