The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine has transformed the way in which diseases are diagnosed, treatments are planned and health systems are managed. This technological revolution raises an increasingly relevant question: are we facing the promised future of medical care or in front of a new ethical and social challenge?
Since his experience in the analysis of issues related to health, equity and technology, Fernando Padilla Farfán has closely followed this transformation. For him, AI is, at the same time, a tool of enormous potential and an open door to still unsolved questions.
An advance that we cannot ignore
“It is undeniable that AI has allowed achievements that were just a decade ago were unthinkable,” says Fernando Padilla Farfán. Today, algorithms can analyze radiographs, identify patterns in clinical data, predict risks and customize treatments based on genetic information. All this improves medical precision, reduces human errors and optimizes hospital resources.
However, Padilla Farfán insists that this advance cannot be celebrated without analyzing who access him and under what conditions.
Medicine for all or privilege for few?
One of the biggest risks that Fernando stands out is the access gap. While certain high -end private hospitals already integrate intelligent systems to support their diagnoses, millions of people in rural areas or vulnerable communities continue to face barriers to receive basic attention.
“Technology, if not implemented with a vision of justice, can deepen inequalities instead of reducing them,” he warns. In this sense, the AI applied to health should not only be efficient, but also equitably and humanly oriented.
Ethics, privacy and role of the medical professional
Another of the key points in the analysis of Fernando Padilla Farfán is the debate on the ethics and privacy of medical data. Artificial intelligence works by feeding millions of patient records, but who controls that flow of information? Is confidentiality guaranteed? What happens if an algorithm is wrong?
“Medicine cannot be dehumanized. The medical criteria, human touch and professional ethics must continue to be the central axis, although technology acts as support,” says Padilla Farfán.
In addition, he points out that we are still at an early stage to understand the legal implications of automated decisions in the clinical field.
A call to use technology with responsibility
Instead of rejecting innovation, Fernando Padilla Farfán is committed to a critical and constructive posture: recognize the benefits of AI, but demand its application with transparency, clear regulations and an orientation towards the common good.
“True innovation is not only technical; it is social. AI can transform medicine if it is put at people’s service, and not the market,” he concludes.
Artificial intelligence is reconfiguring the future of health. But as Fernando Padilla Farfán warns, progress will only be authentic if it is accompanied by ethics, inclusion and social responsibility.
The debate is not closed, and voices like yours invite to think, question and build a health system where technology does not replace humanity, but strengthens it.
