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MedPage Today will host a live webinar on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 12:30 p.m. ET, featuring bioethicist and oncologist Ezekiel J. Emanuel and moderator Jeremy Faust. The discussion follows Emanuel’s argument that doctors should experiment with AI-controlled care, a position that differs from the American Medical Association’s assistive-role approach.
MedPage Today will hold a live webinar Thursday, Oct. 29, on whether artificial intelligence should be allowed to act more autonomously in medicine, with bioethicist and oncologist Ezekiel J. Emanuel joining editor-in-chief Jeremy Faust. The discussion follows Emanuel’s recent argument that physicians should be willing to experiment with AI-controlled models, a view that contrasts with the American Medical Association’s policy favoring AI as an aid to clinicians rather than an autonomous decision-maker.
The event is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Faust, MedPage Today’s editor-in-chief, will moderate; Emanuel, an oncologist and bioethicist, is the featured guest. The publication says attendees can submit questions before the webinar by commenting on its event page. People who register but cannot attend live can receive a recording, according to the announcement.
The webinar is framed around Emanuel’s position in a recent Atlantic op-ed. He argued that doctors “need to be willing to experiment with models that put AI in control,” and characterized much of medical practice as “largely algorithmic.” Emanuel’s case, as summarized by MedPage Today, is that highly trained AI models could help reduce misdiagnoses and lessen administrative work. Those are arguments for discussion, not outcomes established by the webinar announcement.
The announcement places Emanuel’s view against wider disagreement in medicine. The AMA has adopted policies that favor an assistive role for AI rather than autonomous healthcare decisions. Other clinicians and experts have also raised concerns about AI’s effects on professional responsibilities and the quality of medical research. The event description does not say that the webinar will produce a policy recommendation or a consensus.
The Debate Over AI’s Role in Care
The question has practical implications for clinical responsibility and patient care. If AI systems are given more authority over diagnosis or treatment, clinicians, health organizations and policymakers will have to address how decisions are checked, who is accountable for errors, and when a human professional must intervene. The webinar announcement does not specify a proposed system or clinical setting, so it is not a plan to deploy AI doctors.
The disagreement also reflects competing priorities. Supporters of greater experimentation point to possible help with diagnostic accuracy and administrative workload. Critics have warned about risks to care standards and the scope of healthcare workers’ practice. Patients and clinicians may be affected by how those trade-offs are weighed, but the source material does not provide evidence that autonomous AI has already delivered the benefits Emanuel described.
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From AMA Policy to Emanuel’s Proposal
The announcement comes amid public debate over AI in healthcare. The AMA has adopted policies that place AI in an assistive, not autonomous, role. Emanuel’s recent Atlantic commentary takes a different position, arguing for experiments in which AI models have control. MedPage Today describes this as a point of disagreement with many clinicians.
The report also notes that physician groups pushed back after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed AI can outperform physicians in diagnosis and prescribing. That claim is attributed to Kennedy; the event announcement does not present supporting evidence or resolve the dispute. Other experts cited in the report have warned that AI may contribute to “meaningless” scientific research and encroach on healthcare workers’ responsibilities.
“Physicians “need to be willing to experiment with models that put AI in control.””
— Ezekiel J. Emanuel, in a recent Atlantic op-ed, as quoted by MedPage Today
Evidence and Safeguards Still Open
The event announcement does not specify which AI models or medical tasks will be discussed, what Emanuel means in practice by putting AI “in control,” or what level of human oversight he would support. It also does not provide evidence that autonomous systems reduce misdiagnoses or administrative burdens, or explain how risks would be measured.
It remains unclear whether the webinar will address liability, patient consent, data privacy, unequal performance across patient groups, and the limits of AI in high-stakes decisions. The source describes competing positions but does not report a new medical policy, research result, or change in clinical practice. Those questions should not be treated as settled by the scheduled discussion.
Join the Oct. 29 Discussion
The webinar is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 29, at 12:30 p.m. ET. MedPage Today says participants can register to attend live and submit questions in advance by commenting on the event page. Registration is also available to people who cannot join at the scheduled time; the announcement says they will receive a recording.
The discussion will feature Emanuel and moderator Faust. The announcement gives no further details about the session’s length, agenda, or whether additional guests will participate. Readers seeking the event should consult MedPage Today’s registration page for access and any updates.
Key Questions
When is the webinar?
It is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, at 12:30 p.m. ET, according to MedPage Today’s announcement.
Who will take part?
Ezekiel J. Emanuel, a bioethicist and oncologist, will be the guest. Jeremy Faust, MedPage Today’s editor-in-chief, will moderate.
What will the discussion cover?
The webinar will address whether AI should have a more autonomous role in healthcare, including Emanuel’s argument for experimenting with models that put AI in control. The announcement does not give a detailed agenda.
Can people ask questions or watch later?
MedPage Today says questions can be submitted before the event by commenting on its event page. People who register but cannot attend live can receive a recording.
Source: rss
