Al-fasting – Just what the doctor ordered

We can lose our skills if we rely too much on Al. We need to take some breaks from it.

- Jennifer Ang

The recent move by the National University Health System (NUHS) and National Healthcare Group (NHG) to introduce “Al-free periods” for doctors may sound surprising. After all, isn’t artificial intelligence (AI) meant to help us work faster and better? But the concern here is real: When we rely too heavily on machines, we risk losing the very skills that make us competent and confident professionals.

A study published in the Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology journal in August 2025 found that experienced doctors who had used Al assistance tools to detect precancerous growths in the colon were less adept at doing so without them in a period of three months. This challenges the belief that while AI tools erode the abilities of novices, they do not affect those already skilled.

THE EVERYDAY RISKS OF OVER-RELIANCE

This isn’t a problem for just doctors. We see similar patterns in our daily lives. How many of us can still find our way without relying on the Global Positioning System (GPS)? How often do we rely on predictive text or writing tools instead of shaping our own sentences and ideas?

Even social media and chatbots are subtly reshaping how we connect with others, sometimes at the expense of genuine relationships. Over time, such habits can also chip away at deeper skills like writing and critical thinking, as we grow accustomed to bite-size information and automated assistance.