Microsoft says its new AI is way better than doctors at diagnosing patients

The tech giant's AI Diagnostic Orchestrator (MAI-DxO) tool “correctly diagnoses up to 85% of [New England Journal of Medicine] case proceedings, a rate more than four times higher than a group of experienced physicians," Microsoft wrote in a research post Monday.

Microsoft's new Diagnostic Orchestrator experimental AI system is designed to mimic a virtual panel of physicians, integrating multiple large language models (LLMs) such as GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and others, bundling pertinent data into distinct patient diagnoses. Microsoft said its AI doctor agent can provide hypotheses, suggest tests, challenge assumptions, enforce cost efficiency, and conduct quality control, with patient care as a priority.

 “The Microsoft AI team shares research that demonstrates how AI can sequentially investigate and solve medicine’s most complex diagnostic challenges. (These are) cases that expert physicians struggle to answer,” the company reported.

MAI-DxO approaches medical patient diagnosis differently than human doctors, taking a sequential step-by-step route that starts with limited patient data, then proceeds to targeted queries and patient testing before providing a diagnosis.

"We're taking a big step towards medical superintelligence," Microsoft AI chief executive officer Mustafa Suleyman noted on LinkedIn. "AI models have aced multiple-choice medical exams – but real patients don't come with ABC answer options."

The sheer breadth and scope of the AI-powered MAI-DxO diagnostic tool may send shockwaves through the patient care community.

“Increasingly, people are turning to digital tools for medical advice and support,” the report stated. “Across Microsoft’s AI consumer products like Bing and Copilot, we see over 50 million health-related sessions every day. From a first-time knee-pain query to a late-night search for an urgent-care clinic, search engines and AI companions are quickly becoming the new front line in healthcare.”

Microsoft also noted its aggressive move into “broader health initiatives” that signal a renewed commitment to quality patient care through “an expanding AI-based product line.”

“Existing solutions include RAD-DINO, which helps accelerate and improve radiology workflows and Microsoft Dragon Copilot, our pioneering voice-first AI assistant for clinicians,” the company said. “For AI to make a difference, clinicians and patients alike must be able to trust its performance. That’s where our new benchmarks and AI orchestrator come in.”

U.S. physicians are already using AI in growing numbers, with 72% of employed physicians and 64% of doctors in private practice deploying the technology, according to the American Medical Association.  

So is it time for physicians to contemplate retirement? Not yet. But in February, Microsoft founder Bill Gates told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that he believed AI could replace doctors “over the next decade.”