4 Facts to Know About AI Medical Transcription
What’s All the Buzz about Artificial Intelligence (AI)?
Living in the 21st century has brought a boom in the age of AI. Chances are, you have encountered AI when you interacted with a chatbot that provided customer support in real time or called a company’s customer service number. You probably also have used ChatGPT or other AI-fueled platforms such as Google Translate or an app with AI features.
A simple definition of AI refers to computer systems that can carry out complex tasks that previously only humans could do, such as thinking, decision-making, or problem-solving.
Today, AI powers many industries that use technology, such as healthcare (including AI medical transcription), finance, transportation, and others. AI helps automate various tasks and processes.
According to Learning Tree International, “Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to systems or machines designed to mimic human intelligence, whether by learning through experience, recognizing patterns, or making data-informed decisions.”
AI in Healthcare
Although initial interest in using AI in healthcare has been around since the 1960s and ‘70s, the true surge of AI in healthcare began in 2000, primarily because of the increase in its applications across all areas of technology.
In their book, Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, the authors cite AI having an impact on most aspects of modern life including healthcare, from AI medical transcription to diagnostics to treatment. For example, when people use a search engine like Google to look up their symptoms or health conditions, this can be tracked to note what people are seeking. The data can be used for detailed personal profiling, which can be helpful for behavioral understanding and targeting, but also has potential for predicting healthcare trends.
In a 2018 article in the American Journal of Medicine, the authors noted that “AI algorithms are performing on par or better than humans in various tasks, for instance, in analyzing medical images or correlating symptoms and biomarkers from electronic health records (EHRs) with the characterization and prognosis of the disease.”
AI in Medical Transcription
The use of AI in healthcare in 2025 has many applications, including AI medical transcription.
Generally, the primary responsibility of a medical transcriptionist is to change or transcribe voice recordings by a healthcare professional of a patient appointment, clinic visit, or hospital stay into a written report. The report contains any procedures, test results, and notes from the healthcare professional and accurately transcribes those audio recordings into an electronic format, which then becomes part of the patient’s electronic health record (EHR) and can be accessed by patients through their healthcare provider’s health portal.
With the advent of AI medical transcription, medical transcription is changing from the human model, being seen as more efficient and providing improved quality of healthcare documentation. According to ScribeAmerica, AI medical transcription benefits include a reduction in errors, improved transcription processing time, integration into EHR, improved cost effectiveness, and 24/7 dictation accessibility for healthcare professionals.
Drawbacks of AI in Medical Transcription
Although there are numerous benefits of AI medical transcription, there are also challenges, considerations, and disadvantages to keep in mind.
- AI medical transcription can lead to long-term cost savings, but the initial application and integration of AI systems can require a significant expense.
- Security and compliance with healthcare regulations (such as HIPAA in the U.S.) are critical to ensuring that patient privacy is not compromised. Patients need to give consent and understand how their data will be used.
- Legal or liability issues could arise regarding accuracy involving problems with AI medical transcription technology translating the information dictated by the healthcare professional.
- AI technology can have problems with speech recognition or make up information. A North Carolina Health News article notes that the voice recognition used in AI medical transcription may not always understand different dialects or individuals with speech disabilities. Sometimes, AI can misunderstand a response or even record completely false responses termed “hallucinations.”
- AI technology can have difficulty with interpreting complex medical terminology.
Human Medical Transcriptionists Are Still Needed in Healthcare
Although AI has transformed the medical transcription industry and continues to develop, human medical transcriptionists are still needed. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, 7,400 job openings are expected yearly to replace existing workers, making it a viable career option.
If you’re thinking about pursuing medical transcription as a remote career, it’s essential to familiarize yourself with the process of becoming a medical transcriptionist, including the required training and coursework. Many medical transcriptionist training programs are available online or at community colleges and are relatively inexpensive.
Blackstone Career Institute offers an online, affordable, AHDI approved Medical Transcription Program that can be completed on average in four to 12 months. The program is designed to prepare students for an entry-level career as a medical transcriptionist. Students who graduate from the program qualify to sit for the Registered Healthcare Documentation Specialist (RHDS) certification exam, administered by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI). Included in BCI’s Medical Transcription Program tuition are all program materials and customized study guides directing you through all of your coursework, accessed digitally through the Online Student Center.
Final Thoughts
Keep in mind that becoming a medical transcriptionist is a great career path to consider, with options to work as an independent contractor for a physician’s office, an outpatient care center, surgical and medical hospitals, a medical transcription company, and other healthcare provider offices.
AI medical transcription should complement, not replace, human participation. There will always be a need for human involvement to ensure the accuracy and quality of healthcare documentation.
Perhaps an article by Ben Walker in MedCity News sums it up nicely: “While AI continues to advance, the healthcare industry requires a level of accuracy, understanding, and confidentiality that only well-trained human transcriptionists can consistently provide. The human touch supports healthcare providers, ensuring they have access to precise, timely, and secure transcription services.”
Written by Jo Gambosi
