New editorial explores the double-edged sword of AI scribes in health care

TORONTO, Canada – August 27, 2025 — A new editorial published in JMIR Medical Informatics examines the rapid rise of ambient artificial intelligence (AI) scribes—technologies designed to automate clinical documentation and ease the administrative burden on health care practitioners. While these tools show great promise in reducing burnout and freeing up time for patient care, the editorial highlights significant concerns that warrant further investigation.

The piece, authored by Dr Tiffany I Leung, Dr Andrew J Coristine, and Dr Arriel Benis, acknowledges the potential of ambient AI scribes to revolutionize clinical workflows. It notes that early evidence suggests these tools can lead to reduced clinician burnout, less time spent on after-hours documentation, and improved patient-physician interaction as providers can be more present during visits.

However, the authors caution that these benefits are balanced by a number of challenges. The editorial points to persistent concerns about the accuracy and reliability of AI-generated notes, including errors, omissions, and hallucinations. It also raises ethical and legal questions, such as algorithmic bias, privacy risks, and the potential for “cognitive debt” or overreliance on AI, which could diminish critical thinking skills.

Although the enthusiasm for AI scribes is understandable, the medical community must proceed with caution and a commitment to rigorous, evidence-based evaluation. The analysis shows that while these tools are a promising solution to a long-standing problem, many questions remain unanswered about their impact on patient safety, clinician training, and system-level outcomes.

This editorial highlights a critical need for more scholarly work to guide the responsible and effective deployment of AI scribes. To that end, JMIR Medical Informatics is launching a new section and a call for papers on “Ambient AI Scribes and AI-Driven Documentation Technologies.” The journal invites submissions of original research, implementation reports, and evidence-based perspectives from clinicians, patients, and health care leaders. Of particular interest are studies exploring the practical applications, challenges, and future directions of these technologies in real-world clinical settings.

###

About JMIR Publications

JMIR Publications is a leading open access publisher of digital health research and a champion of open science. With a focus on author advocacy and research amplification, JMIR Publications partners with researchers to advance their careers and maximize the impact of their work. As a technology organization with publishing at its core, we provide innovative tools and resources that go beyond traditional publishing, supporting researchers at every step of the dissemination process. Our portfolio features a range of peer-reviewed journals, including the renowned Journal of Medical Internet Research.
 

To learn more about JMIR Publications, please visit jmirpublications.com or connect with us via Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

Head office: 130 Queens Quay East, Unit 1100, Toronto, ON, M5A 0P6 Canada

Media contact: communications@jmir.org

The content of this communication is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, published by JMIR Publications, is properly cited.