‘The Pitt’s Divisive AI Storyline Proves It’s More Than a Medical Drama

The Pitt‘s second season marks a change in the dynamic. Robby (Noah Wyle) is prepping to take a three-month sabbatical. He’s working his final shift before the break and helping to incorporate his temporary replacement, Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi). However, it seems she isn’t looking for help to fit in, but rather information about how things are done so she can make changes. Not surprisingly, the dynamic between the two of them is tense. They have very different leadership styles and approaches to medicine, but what’s most interesting is that this younger, more modern doctor is leaning heavily into AI technology. It’s not in a “robots diagnosing patients” type of way, but far more grounded and honest. It encourages conversation and demonstrates that The Pitt pushes boundaries by exploring topical issues far beyond just medicine.

Dr. Baran Thinks AI Has a Place in Medicine

Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi in The Pitt holding a tablet.

Image via HBO Max

Robby has always presented as an old-school type of doctor. He relies on his learnings and his experience, but also his intuition and gut feelings. He seems to loathe technology, or at least the impact it has had on the profession. In one of the most memorable scenes from the first season, Robby is dealing with a mother who refuses treatment for her teenage son because of what she read on Google. It’s one of the few times we see Robby almost lose his cool in front of a patient, later venting his anger that she trusts “Dr. Google” more than the advice from a medical professional.

What’s most intriguing about Dr. Baran, one of the new characters on the show, is that she has a completely different mindset that embraces technology. Even if she would likely also disagree with this mother’s reliance on “Dr. Google,” she does incorporate AI technology into her workflow in a way that she believes will improve processes and patient satisfaction. She first, for example, discusses an AI algorithm she uses and the advice it provides based on a patient’s symptoms, illnesses, or injuries. It’s completely foreign to Robby and everyone else he teaches. Dr. Baran, meanwhile, doesn’t understand why the residents continue to refer to their “gut feelings” versus concrete medical direction.

It poses an interesting question about aspects of medical care that involve far more than just what an AI can research and output. There’s a reason, after all, that we go to see doctors instead of just virtually meeting with them and taking vital measurements at home. The mannerisms, nuances in behavior, speech, or even mood, can tell a doctor more than just what plugging data into a system can. Dr. Baran seems to have lost this sense of intuition and observation in favor of concrete data and analysis fueled by AI, and it will be interesting to see how that’s explored further down the line.

In Episode 2, “8 A.M.,” Dr. Baran reveals more about her reliance on and attitude towards AI. She asks a patient for permission to use a secure app on her phone to record the consultation. After the appointment is done, she shows the other doctors and residents how the transcript can be automatically uploaded for charting, simplifying the arduous task. According to Baran, doctors spend the majority of their time on charting, which means less time for patient care. This strategy can shave so much time off the process, thus leading to greater efficiencies and shorter patient wait times. It seems like a no-brainer.

One doctor points out, however, that the AI transcribed the wrong medication name and/or dosage, which is a huge mistake to make. But she shrugs it off. AI, she says, is about 98% accurate right now, which means you still need to carefully review and correct the charting before logging and submitting it. But the overall process should take significantly less time since most of the content is transcribed and written out for you. She has a point, but it also raises questions about the ethics of recording patient meetings and the onus when a mistake does happen to slip through the cracks. Can a doctor blame the AI even though it’s their job to verify the information before submission? It’s not as big a deal in other industries. But in the medical field, it’s literally life and death.

This Divisive Storyline Will Challenge Viewer Thinking

Dr. Baran looking up close at a patient during care in The Pitt.

As Dr. Baran’s experimentation with AI continues, The Pitt is hitching its wagon to one of the most buzzed-about terms of the last few years. It’s a groundbreaking show, so this makes sense. Similar to shows like The Wire, it’s aiming to challenge you to think about much more than just the surface-level topic. There’s something to be said about Robby’s classic approach to practicing medicine, but is Dr. Baran onto something? Or is she relying on technology in a field where precision and accuracy are crucial, and intuition, empathy, and quick thinking are really what separate the good doctors from the great ones? Her approach as a main character could backfire for the show, or prove to add something meaningful as she challenges the status quo.

Most intriguing will be to see how this reliance on AI plays out through the rest of the shift and the 13 episodes of the season. There will undoubtedly be viewers who appreciate Dr. Baran’s attempt to modernize the ER, and others who feel she is using unproven methods that could be detrimental to patient care. This is AI in a practical, palatable sense, used by a doctor to assist, not replace. And that’s what makes its introduction so compelling. She is introducing it in a complementary way and making solid points about how it can help. If there’s a downside to using AI in medicine, however, The Pitt is likely working its way up to showing it.

For now, while Dr. Baran walks around with her tablet and AI companion, Robby is proving that what’s in textbooks, studies, and spit out by AI isn’t always the right thing to do. He takes risks, yes. But they often pay off, helping a patient who might not otherwise have been saved, or conducting a procedure in a way that saves resources, money, and unnecessary pain. Dr. Baran is by the book, and Dr. Robby works with empathy and compassion, approaching every patient as one with unique circumstances. AI can do a lot, but it doesn’t excel in any of those departments. I can’t wait to see how this divisive topic is further explored through the season of one of the biggest streaming surprises on TV.