How I Doctor with Dr. Graham Walker Where AI in Medicine Is Actually Headed, with Microsoft’s CMO David Rhew
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Jan 1, 2026 David Rhew, an infectious disease physician and Global Chief Medical Officer at Microsoft, explores the future of AI in healthcare. He discusses the frustration clinicians feel with poorly designed AI systems and emphasizes the potential of agentic AI in improving diagnostic processes. David highlights successful applications in population screening and the importance of automated data capture. He advocates for AI that supplements human decision-making, enabling clinicians to focus on patient care while minimizing administrative burdens.
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Agentic AI Beats One Supermodel
- Complex clinical problems succeed when broken into specific subtasks rather than one monolithic model.
- David Rhew describes agentic AI composed of specialized agents that together outperform single foundation models.
Retinal Screening Finds Hidden Disease
- At a Los Angeles health fair, an automated retinal box screened walk-ins and found 67% with referable disease.
- An ophthalmologist then reviewed films and identified cases missed by prior clinicians, triggering urgent follow-up.
Triage Before The Clinic
- Use AI for pre-screening and risk stratification to triage patients before clinic visits.
- Allocate specialist resources to high-risk patients and manage lower-risk care digitally to maximize capacity.