Introducing WBUR's series 'AI in the doctor's office'

May 05, 2026

Dr. Sam Ash looks at OpenEvidence, an AI medical information platform, on his computer at South Shore Health in Weymouth. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

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You’ve heard of ChatGPT. What about “ChatGPT for doctors”?

On a recent afternoon, WBUR’s Deborah Becker visited Dr. Sam Ash at South Shore Hospital to see how he uses artificial intelligence to help diagnose patients.

Ash quickly typed details into his computer about a new patient brought to the critical care unit after she was discovered unconscious in a bathroom, surrounded by pill bottles. The 40-year-old woman had a history of mental illness, and the medications found beside her included a blood pressure drug, an anti-anxiety medication, the antipsychotic Seroquel and the anti-seizure drug Depakote.

The Depakote stood out to Ash. At high enough levels, he said, it's toxic and can require dialysis to stop it from damaging a person's organs.

"This is something I know, but off the top of my head I can't remember the exact level," said Ash, who is also South Shore’s vice president of information technology and innovation.

Ash pulled up OpenEvidence, a generative AI platform for doctors. He asked OpenEvidence to check how much Depakote was found in his patient's blood, and whether the total met the bar for intensive treatment. The answers came immediately.

This is one example of the AI tools that are rapidly changing healthcare. For the past few months, a team of us at WBUR have been reporting a series called “AI in the doctor’s office,” and we’re bringing our coverage to you this week.

You can read the rest of Deb’s story about OpenEvidence and other diagnostic AI tools here. And you can check out the whole series as it unfolds at wbur.org. Here’s a preview:

What to know about AI scribes: Thousands of Massachusetts doctors are using AI to take notes during their patient visits. The AI can record, transcribe and summarize appointments — as well as assist in billing. Dr. Rebecca Mishuris, chief health information officer at Mass General Brigham, joined WBUR’s Tiziana Dearing on Morning Edition to discuss why so many doctors are embracing this change and what patients should know about it.
AI is changing how we find breast cancer: An algorithm developed by researchers at MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital can predict who is likely to develop cancer in the next five years, just by analyzing a mammogram image. This could help catch cancers earlier. WBUR’s Priyanka Dayal McCluskey reports more patients are gradually gaining access to this technology, but cost remains a barrier.
AI, the mental health provider: As more people turn to AI for emotional support, many mental health clinicians are talking with their clients about it. Some are factoring it into their work. WBUR’s Lynn Jolicoeur reports that some researchers are even developing AI chatbots trained on therapeutic practices. As you might imagine, there are concerns that chatbots can hook people who are already socially isolated. Lynn spoke to therapists, patients and researchers about how AI is changing this field.
Take AI for a test drive: Accompanying Lynn’s story, we’ll have an interactive experience that lets you test out how AI responds to three common mental health concerns — and you’ll see how therapists weigh in on the AI’s performance.

P.S.— Mother’s Day is coming up. Celebrate your mom — and support the journalism at WBUR — with an arrangement from Winston Flowers. Save 10% if you order by Wednesday.

This series is funded in part by a grant from the NIHCM Foundation.