Tech, NHS and Clinical Careers in 2026 (Derrek Khor)
At the World Economic Forum 2026, Elon Musk provocatively said it doesn’t make sense to study medicine anymore, because of AI. Artificial intelligence is moving fast in healthcare. From large language models explaining diagnoses to algorithms interpreting medical images. However, when we really need medical help, we still seek human physicians, and that won’t change soon, says Dr. Derrick Khor, an NHS oncologist and co-founder of a medical consulting group.
In this episode of Faces of Digital Health, Dr. Derrick Khor, offers a grounded clinician’s perspective on what AI can and cannot do in real healthcare settings.
AI won’t replace doctors — but it will reshape the role
Provocative statements about AI replacing doctors may grab headlines, but clinical reality looks very different. When people are seriously ill, trust, judgement, and human accountability still matter. While AI excels at pattern recognition, literature review, and simplifying complex information, it does not replace clinical responsibility.
Dr. Khor argues that AI is best understood as a powerful assistant — one that can process vast amounts of data, support decision-making, and help clinicians stay current with research — not as a replacement for medical professionals.
Patients, data access, and shared agency
One of the most tangible impacts of AI today is on patients. Tools like ChatGPT are already helping people understand diagnoses, treatment options, and clinical letters — often with surprising accuracy when given good data.
However, the real bottleneck is not AI capability, but data access. Without structured, complete, and timely access to their own health data, patients cannot benefit fully from these tools. Empowering patients with data can reduce anxiety, improve engagement, and help them take a more active role in their care — especially during long waiting periods between appointments.
NHS reform: disruption before benefit
The conversation also dives into NHS restructuring. While plans to reduce bureaucracy and streamline governance promise long-term gains, the short-term reality is uncertainty and disruption. Large-scale organizational change creates anxiety for staff and rarely delivers immediate benefits on the frontline.
Whether these reforms will truly reduce bureaucracy remains an open question — one that can only be answered once implementation is complete.
Workforce strain, strikes, and a paradox
Healthcare is facing a workforce crisis driven by growing demand, aging populations, and slow training pipelines. Yet paradoxically, the UK now has unemployed doctors due to training bottlenecks, hiring freezes, and policy misalignment.
Pay erosion, inflation, limited specialty training places, and reduced clinical fellow roles have all contributed to dissatisfaction and strikes. According to Dr. Khor, this is not a failure of individual systems but of joined-up workforce planning.
Why most health tech never reaches the clinic
Despite huge investment, most healthcare AI never makes it into real clinical use. One key reason: lack of clinician involvement. Tools are often designed in isolation, without understanding real workflows.
Dr. Khor shares a simple benchmark for success: if a tool requires even one extra unnecessary click, clinicians may not use it. Seamless integration and meaningful benefit matter far more than technical novelty.
Bridging the gap between clinicians and industry
To address this disconnect, Dr. Khor co-founded a medical consulting group that connects health tech companies with senior clinicians. The goal is simple: ensure solutions fit real clinical pathways, reduce friction, and solve problems that matter.
Healthcare, he argues, cannot fix itself alone. Every major medical advance — from imaging to pharmaceuticals — has come from collaboration between clinicians and industry.
Time stamps (YouTube / podcast platforms)
00:01 Introduction & clinician perspective on AI
01:14 Elon Musk, AI hype, and studying medicine
03:00 What AI does well in healthcare today
05:40 AI explaining medical information to patients
07:30 Patient empowerment, data access, and agency
10:56 NHS restructuring: what’s really changing
14:40 Workforce pressure and changing expectations
17:25 Strikes, pay erosion, and training bottlenecks
21:20 Why unemployed doctors exist despite shortages
26:55 Medical Consulting Group & clinician–industry collaboration
31:00 How Dr. Khor entered digital health
34:45 Seamless AI in clinical workflows
38:05 What policymakers are missing about workforce planning
40:20 Retention, closing thoughts & wrap-up