Your next doctor's appointment may be monitored by ambient AI: An explanation of its features and implications for patients.

Another person may be present in the room during your doctor's appointments in the future due to ambient AI.

Instead of typing furiously and updating medical records late at night, doctors at hospitals such as Tampa General Hospital are utilizing ambient AI to transcribe and organize patient notes in real-time, according to Dr. Nishit Patel, the vice president and chief medical informatics officer at TGH.

And other hospitals are doing the same.

Patel, a practicing physician who sees patients several days a week, states that for every hour spent with patients, they spend two hours trying to capture the information. As a physician at TGH, Patel is focusing on technology infrastructure and AI strategy.

Ambient AI technology automatically transcribes conversations in real-time, similar to a scribe, enabling doctors like Patel to leave with a thoughtful, structured note shell that can be edited and refined.

A subset of the 300 physicians and providers in the Tampa General Hospital system adopted the technology, according to Patel.

He states that over 15,000 patient visits were conducted "with this type of ambient AI technology to enhance the documentation."

"By carefully managing the risks, this moment will be one of the most significant and transformative in healthcare delivery."

Doctors will need to acknowledge patients' fears around AI

Dr. LaTasha Perkins, a family physician at Georgetown University, is currently undergoing training to incorporate AI into her charting process and intends to obtain her patients' consent before recording appointments.

"Seliby Perkins, who specializes in caring for baby boomers and underserved populations, has a patient practice that is 90% made up of Medicaid and Medicare patients. She acknowledges the mistrust that many Black and brown patients have towards the medical system and advises caution when introducing new treatments or services."

Tampa General Hospital physicians follow the practice of using ambient AI, as noted by Patel.

Seliby Perkins anticipates patients either refusing the use of ambient AI or having numerous inquiries about its functioning during their appointments.

To address patients' concerns about AI, she recommends being transparent and acknowledging your own fears, while also being prepared to answer any questions they may have.

Seliby Perkins emphasizes the importance of maintaining the patient-doctor relationship, even with the introduction of new AI technologies in healthcare. "Building continuity of care and relationships is crucial in primary care. Any technology that would diminish this in any way would make me hesitate before implementing it," she says.

According to Patel, surveys of patients' opinions on AI in healthcare spaces reveal that they are fearful of AI, believing that it will replace physicians and have a significant impact on their health outcomes. However, Patel argues that this perception is misguided and that AI is designed to enhance, not replace, the role of physicians in healthcare.

An AI governance group comprising physicians, ethicists, and experts in compliance, risk, privacy, and security was established at TGH prior to implementing ambient AI.

"Patel emphasizes the importance of considering the entire picture, including risks and potential biases, when deploying anything that may impact a patient, whether directly or indirectly, for operational efficiency."

'It does have some hallucinations'

While some physicians, such as Dr. Nathaniel DeNicola, have not integrated ambient AI into their practice, DeNicola is a board-certified OB-GYN in southern California who runs his own private practice and serves as the chair of telehealth work for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists since 2016.

Our practice does not use AI to create patient notes. Instead, our clinicians and medical assistants handle the task from start to finish, with no involvement from scribes.

DeNicola explains that while they considered companies that utilized AI, they ultimately decided not to use them. This was not due to a lack of satisfaction with the concept of AI, but rather because the overall package did not align with their needs.

DeNicola employs AI in his non-medical work to streamline his email management and prioritize urgent messages, while generative AI assists him in drafting the structure of some of his emails.

DeNicola has utilized generative AI while researching papers he has written. He explains that it is useful for providing a quick narrative overview of a topic and summarizing things effectively. It can also be used as a tool for generating ideas for papers being written.

DeNicola claims that AI has limitations, such as hallucinations and making up references. For instance, it may mention a study, but when checked, the study does not exist.

Perkins also emphasizes the importance of human oversight when using AI, as cultural differences can be missed by transcription services.

According to Seliby Perkins, it is crucial for a doctor to review and revise their work because, despite collecting data from AI, they may overlook factors such as age, gender, and cultural background when assessing tone and inflection.

"Although AI can assist with some general tasks, we must remain mindful of equity, inclusion, and diversity issues when using it, as its information collection process may perpetuate biases."

To become a successful and confident communicator, enroll in CNBC's online course, "Become an Effective Communicator: Master Public Speaking." Our program will teach you how to speak clearly and confidently, manage your nerves, choose the right words, and use effective body language to make a great first impression. Sign up now.

Sign up for CNBC Make It's newsletter to receive expert advice on work, money, and life.