AI in health care: Transforming medicine, education, and research
Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept. It is reshaping medicine, education, and research in real time.
This was the central message from Jiajie Zhang, PhD, dean and The Glassell Family Foundation Distinguished Chair in Informatics Excellence at McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics at UTHealth Houston, during his recent research seminar, “The Brain is Now Open Source: Building an AI-Native Health Science Institution,” on Sept. 24. This event was a part of the BMI 7150 Research Seminar series.
“For the first time in human history, the human brain is no longer a closed system,” Zhang said. “Intelligence is now scalable, shareable, and open source. And it’s advancing at exponential speed.”
UTHealth Houston is uniquely positioned to lead this transformation. The institution is the first in the U.S. to sign a HIPAA-compliant agreement with OpenAI, providing a secure platform for students and faculty.
A new cognitive revolution
Zhang traced the evolution of human progress through three great revolutions: agricultural, industrial, and now cognitive. AI, he argued, represents the third wave by automating tasks of the mind in the same way engines once liberated the body.
“AI is doing to the mind what engines did to the body,” he explained, describing it as a system that never sleeps, speaks every language, and can process all of human knowledge at once.
AI in health care and education
Zhang emphasized how AI is already outperforming human averages on professional exams and serving as a tutor at every level, from K-12 to graduate school.
“AI doesn’t replace education; it transforms it,” Zhang said.
At UTHealth Houston, AI tools are being used for lesson planning, personalized tutoring, exam preparation, and even generating scientific drafts. Zhang noted that the shift is forcing schools to rethink curricula, moving from memorization to creativity, ethics, and collaboration.
The human element
For all its power, Zhang reminded the audience of AI’s limits. Reflecting on a wedding speech he wrote for his daughter, he noted:
“AI could not have written that speech. Not because it lacks intelligence, but because it does not have a beating heart and a whole life behind it.”
In the end, Zhang challenged the audience to imagine AI as a collaborator, not a replacement.
“AI is reshaping how science is conducted. The question is not if we will transform the field,” he concluded, “but who will lead it.”