TL;DR
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 moderated by Jeremy Faust. The event will address Emanuel’s argument that doctors should experiment with AI-controlled care, a position that differs from policies favoring AI as a support tool and has drawn debate among clinicians.
MedPage Today will hold a live webinar on Thursday, October 29, at 12:30 p.m. ET, featuring bioethicist and oncologist Ezekiel J. Emanuel discussing whether artificial intelligence should take a more autonomous role in medical care. The event, moderated by MedPage Today editor-in-chief Jeremy Faust, comes amid disagreement over whether AI should remain an assistive tool or be allowed to make decisions in patient care.
The webinar, titled “Should We Let Robots Be Doctors?”, is scheduled to examine Emanuel’s vision for AI in health care and the medical profession’s changing landscape. MedPage Today says attendees can submit questions ahead of the event by commenting on its announcement. People who register but cannot attend live will receive a recording, according to the event notice.
Emanuel, who is a physician and bioethicist, recently argued in an op-ed for The Atlantic that doctors “need to be willing to experiment with models that put AI in control.” He has described medicine as “largely algorithmic” and argued that highly trained AI models could help reduce misdiagnoses and ease administrative work. Those are Emanuel’s arguments, not established findings reported in the webinar announcement.
The event will include Jeremy Faust as moderator and Emanuel as the featured guest. The announcement does not provide a detailed agenda, identify specific AI systems to be discussed, or say whether the webinar will include other speakers. Its stated focus is Emanuel’s perspective and the broader debate over AI’s place in medicine.
The Debate Over AI’s Role in Care
The discussion matters because decisions about how much authority to give AI can affect clinical responsibility, patient safety and access to care. A system used to organize information or suggest options supports a clinician; a system allowed to make decisions with less direct oversight raises different questions about who is accountable when an error occurs and how patients are protected.
Emanuel’s proposal to test models that put AI “in control” marks a position that differs from the approach described in the announcement as adopted by major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association. The webinar gives clinicians and other interested readers a chance to hear his case and consider questions about how such experiments could be evaluated. The source does not report that any particular model will be tested or that the event will announce a policy change.
Why Doctors Disagree on Autonomy
The announcement places Emanuel’s comments against a wider dispute over medical AI. It says the AMA and some other major medical organizations have adopted policies that keep AI in an assistive role rather than an autonomous one. That distinction reflects a broader concern about whether clinicians should retain decision-making authority when AI tools are used in diagnosis or treatment.
The debate has also followed public comments by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who claimed AI can outperform physicians in diagnosing conditions and prescribing medication. According to MedPage Today’s report, physician groups pushed back. Other experts have warned that AI may contribute to low-value research and encroach on health workers’ scope of practice. The announcement does not detail those responses or establish the accuracy of the competing claims.
Emanuel’s argument follows his recent The Atlantic op-ed. The Oct. 29 event is presented as a forum to discuss that position, rather than a report that health authorities have approved autonomous AI doctors or that clinical practice has already changed.
““need to be willing to experiment with models that put AI in control.””
— Ezekiel J. Emanuel, in a recent op-ed for The Atlantic, as quoted by MedPage Today
Limits of the Webinar Announcement
The announcement does not say what evidence Emanuel will present, what safeguards he would require, or how responsibility would be assigned if an AI-led decision harmed a patient. It also does not specify whether the discussion will address particular specialties, types of AI, or rules for obtaining patient consent.
It remains unclear how much of the event will focus on Emanuel’s proposal versus the concerns raised by medical organizations and other experts. The announcement describes a discussion, not a consensus or a change in professional policy. Claims that AI can outperform physicians, reduce misdiagnoses or improve care should be understood as attributed arguments unless supported by evidence discussed at the event.
How to Attend on October 29
The webinar is scheduled for October 29 at 12:30 p.m. ET. Readers can register through the event page and submit questions in advance by commenting on MedPage Today’s announcement. The outlet says registrants who cannot attend live can receive the recording.
After the event, the recording may give readers a fuller account of Emanuel’s reasoning and the questions raised by participants. The announcement does not state whether MedPage Today will publish a transcript or whether any formal recommendations will follow.
Key Questions
When is the webinar?
It is scheduled for Thursday, October 29, 2026, at 12:30 p.m. ET, according to MedPage Today.
Who is speaking?
Ezekiel J. Emanuel, a bioethicist and oncologist, is the featured guest. Jeremy Faust, MedPage Today’s editor-in-chief, will moderate.
What is the webinar about?
It will address Emanuel’s view that physicians should experiment with AI models that can take a more autonomous role, alongside the wider debate over AI in medical care.
Can people submit questions or watch later?
Yes. MedPage Today encourages questions submitted in advance by commenting on the announcement. It says people who register but cannot attend live will receive a recording.
Does the event mean AI doctors have been approved?
No such approval is reported in the announcement. It describes a webinar and a debate about AI’s role; it does not say that medical organizations have adopted autonomous AI care or that clinical practice has changed.
Source: medpagetoday.com
