Should We Trust AI Diagnostics? RSU Expert Addresses Global Audience at DDS Congress

Should we trust AI in diagnostics? This was the critical question Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sergio Uribe, a renowned expert in artificial intelligence in healthcare, was invited to discuss in front of more than 500 attendees from around the world at the Digital Dentistry Society (DDS) State of the Art International Congress, held in Florence, Italy, on 18–19 October 2024.

Invited by DDS President Dr. Francesco Mangano and Elected President Prof. Reinhilde Jacobs, Assoc. Prof. Uribe described the technical metrics required to evaluate the clinical performance of AI systems in real-world settings and why most of the evidence available is poorly designed, reported, and often fails to provide results that can be reliably extrapolated to clinical practice. He emphasized the importance of rigorous controlled clinical trials to prove AI's applicability and reliability. Assoc. Prof. Uribe also highlighted the unique challenges posed by AI, focusing on the need for high-quality datasets and the cross-annotation of imaging data with omics data to ensure robust and generalizable findings.

AI has immense potential to revolutionize dental diagnostics, but trust in these systems must be grounded in strong evidence. As Galileo taught us here in Florence, science must be verified through observation. This means well-designed controlled clinical testing for AI to validate its accuracy and reliability before it is widely deployed.

Assoc. Prof. Sergio Uribe