Human in the Loop in 2026: The Mundane, the Profane, and the Insane (I’m speaking at AMIA this Thursday)

I’ll be speaking at Amplify AMIA this Thursday, May 21, the closing keynote — “Human in the Loop in 2026: The Mundane, the Profane, and the Insane.”

Here’s a preview.

The Mundane

Mundane doesn’t generate headlines but matters enormously. I’m thinking about my busy physician colleagues who are using AI-powered medical references or ambient notes for their patient visits — and that’s about the extent of it. They don’t fully understand how these tools work. They haven’t explored what AI could do for them personally, at home or at work beyond those narrow uses. The tech has outpaced the learning and understanding.

What does it mean when a large portion of the clinical workforce is nominally using AI but isn’t actually literate in it? That gap is the mundane problem.

The Profane

Here’s an uncomfortable question. Is “human in the loop” actually a good thing to hold on to?

We’ve built a lot of policy and practice around the idea that humans stay in the decision chain, that AI augments rather than replaces. But complacency is real, and if the AI is correct 99% of the time, can humans be that vigilant? When humans are technically in the loop but cognitively checked out, are we safer, or do we just have someone to blame?

The Insane

And then there’s the conversation that swings between spectacular promises and sober reality. The session will have time set aside to argue about it — which, frankly, feels like the right format. These topics deserve debate, not consensus.