The year 2025 marked a pivotal moment in the history of artificial intelligence. Although the “dual nature” of AI—its potential to be both a remarkable tool and an existential threat—had been discussed in safety literature since the early 2010s, it was in 2025 that this duality transitioned from theory to reality.
In medicine, surgical practices increasingly adopted AI-driven robots, shifting from fully manual procedures to hybrid human-AI systems.AI technology facilitates real-time camera adjustments, tissue identification, and tremor filtration, achieving sub-millimeter precision.
AI robots now operate at various levels, from supervised (where a surgeon directs the process) to semi-autonomous (as exemplified by the SRT-H robot, which can complete 17 tasks, including clipping arteries with 100% accuracy in pig intestines). These AI-driven robotics illustrate how technology can enhance human skill rather than replace it. The benefits include 25% shorter operating times, 30% fewer complications, 40% greater precision, and 15% faster recovery.
This evolution is not merely technical; it signifies a transformative advantage at a crucial juncture in healthcare. It creates conditions of greater equality, allowing patients in resource-limited rural areas to access expertise that was previously confined to elite hospitals. Additionally, junior surgeons gain enhanced capabilities, leveling the playing field between highly experienced specialists and emerging practitioners.
However, the challenge lies in ensuring that these systems are responsibly deployed, with safeguards that maintain trust, ethics, and accessibility. In November 2025, the first public confirmation of AI-orchestrated cyber espionage emerged, highlighting the core fear surrounding the uncontrolled deployment of AI.
The primary concern has shifted from the old fear—”The AI will make a mistake”—to the new fear of 2025: “The AI will successfully execute a harmful plan we didn’t intend, and we won’t know until it’s too late.”
Engaging with AI now involves making intentional choices about its implementation. By 2025, institutions like the Mayo Clinic led the way in agentic AI deployment for healthcare, pioneering autonomous systems to enhance clinical and operational workflows. This includes Mayo Clinic’s Agentic automation for clinical workflows, which manages patient monitoring, alerts, and resource orchestration, such as bed and staff scheduling.
Current Health’s platform autonomously oversees chronic care by adjusting devices and escalating issues via wearables. These deployments automate prior authorizations, documentation, and outreach, saving staff time and improving patient care.
Dr. Anjali Bhagra, Medical Director at Mayo Clinic, is a prominent advocate for intelligent automation and AI readiness in healthcare. She emphasizes resilience, well-being, and the creation of inclusive cultures. As the founder of the GRIT (Growth, Resilience, Inspiration, and Tenacity) conference, she champions human-centered care amid AI integration.
Dr. Bhagra highlighted 2025 as a time for seamless clinical integration, with the Mayo Clinic Platform Orchestrate accelerating therapy development through AI analytics on multimodal data. The success of these initiatives relies on hybrid human-AI loops to ensure safety.
The broader impact of these tools showcases agentic science’s role in regenerative medicine, including AI-optimized 3D-printed organs and early cancer detection through skin lesion analysis, which could potentially extend life expectancy. Cardiac AI predicting heart failure from ECGs enables preemptive interventions.
In summary, the increasing incorporation of AI-driven robots in surgical practices signifies a shift from fully manual procedures to highly effective and efficient methods, leading to precise outcomes through hybrid human-AI systems in medicine.
What once seemed impossible or merely distant dreams is now beginning to manifest as a tangible possibility, laying the groundwork for high-standard practices in healthcare. This evolution aims to make world-class healthcare accessible, equitable, and consistently safe.
This transformation goes beyond machines and algorithms; it is about raising the bar for human well-being. By responsibly embracing innovation, healthcare systems can shift from isolated excellence to universal high standards, ensuring that advancements benefit everyone rather than just a select few. This approach addresses shortages, data overload (with 30% of global data originating from healthcare), and inequities by enabling predictive care and faster diagnostics.
By prioritizing ethics, audits, and interoperability, organizations like Mayo Clinic, along with emerging AI-driven digital technologies, are ensuring that innovation does more than advance science—it bridges gaps in healthcare delivery.
Key outcomes include:
AI systems streamlining workflows, reducing inefficiencies, and lowering overall care costs.
Underserved populations gaining access to high-quality medical services that were previously out of reach.
Ethical frameworks and audits safeguarding against misuse, fostering confidence among patients and practitioners.
Seamless integration across platforms ensuring that innovations benefit entire health systems, not just isolated institutions.
This approach transforms AI from a mere tool of convenience into a force for equality, where advanced technology is not a privilege but a shared resource that uplifts all communities. As advancements in science and technology accelerate, human potential expands, using technology as a universal equalizer that enhances creativity, precision, and resilience. This vision shifts AI from being an elite privilege to a shared infrastructure across diverse communities worldwide. Collective momentum can transform isolated elite excellence into universal uplift, realizing technology’s true potential as a force for global equity.
The writer can be reached via gzachewwolde@gmail.com
Key References for the Write-Up
- Mayo Clinic Agentic AI Deployment (2025): Becker’s Hospital Review details Mayo’s pioneering agentic automation under Dr. Anjali Bhagra, focusing on clinical workflows.
- Dr. Anjali Bhagra Profile: Mayo Clinic Alumni Association announces her role as Medical Director for Automation and Office of Belonging.
- AI Robotics in Surgery: Forbes and Health Journalism report on da Vinci, SRT-H, and semi-autonomous systems with precision gains.
