HEALTHCARE professionals and neurologists across the U.S. are closely watching the emergence of ambient AI tools in clinical practice, especially as these technologies enter specialized settings like epilepsy care. A recent study sheds light on how ambient intelligence (AmI). AI that passively listens and processes conversations during clinical encounters—may streamline documentation and reduce administrative burdens in outpatient epilepsy clinics.
The technology, which leverages large language model-based AI systems, is already in use for automating clinical documentation. It promises to ease provider workloads by handling tasks ranging from scheduling to generating preliminary interpretations of tests. For epileptologists, AmI presents a potentially game-changing solution to one of the field’s biggest pain points: accurate and efficient documentation of seizure histories and medication records.
According to the study, the use of AmI has been associated with improved patient experience and reduced physician burnout, largely due to faster note completion and minimized after-hours work. However, researchers caution that these benefits are not without risk. Concerns include AI-generated errors being inserted into the electronic health record, hidden biases in model training data, and a paradoxical increase in provider burnout due to rising expectations.
The authors emphasize that while AmI could enhance documentation speed and accuracy, its deployment must be carefully managed. Missteps could compromise patient safety, particularly critical in epilepsy care, where precise documentation can directly impact clinical decisions. Human oversight remains essential, and the study calls for more research, regulatory oversight, and collaboration among clinicians, informatics professionals, AI developers, and regulators.
As ambient AI continues to evolve, it may redefine how neurologists interact with both patients and technology. But without stringent safeguards and continuous monitoring, the risks could outweigh the rewards.
Reference:
Kakwan H et al. Ambient technology in epilepsy clinical practice. Epilepsia Open. 2025. doi: 10.1002/epi4.70066. [Online ahead of print].
