Hospitals are adopting a new kind of listener — one that never interrupts yet captures every crucial detail.
Ambient AI, a technology that passively listens to and processes conversations in real time, is being explored in healthcare to streamline clinician workflows, reduce operational costs, and improve patient outcomes.
Microsoft recently introduced several improvements of Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare that leverage ambient AI. It’s part of a shift toward integrating AI in healthcare.
“Ambient AI can automate patient check-ins, suggest optimal appointment times, and even provide real-time language translation to ensure seamless communication,” Amit Patel, founder of tech consultancy Mythos Group, told PYMNTS.
Unlike traditional AI, which requires active input, ambient AI listens, processes, and acts without interruption, allowing healthcare providers to focus on delivering care. For hospitals, this could mean the difference between a clinician being buried in paperwork or fully present for their patients.
One advertised advantage of ambient AI is its ability to reduce the administrative burden on healthcare professionals. Physicians often spend hours daily documenting patient information, which can lead to burnout and less time for patient care. Ambient AI aims to tackle this challenge by automating the documentation process.
Patel sees potential in ambient AI for streamlining patient intake and scheduling processes. Traditional patient check-ins, with their paperwork and manual data entry, can take time and effort. Ambient AI technology allows patients to provide their details verbally to a virtual assistant, automatically handling the check-in process. Predictive scheduling capabilities also use historical data to optimize appointment times, helping healthcare facilities manage resources more efficiently.
“Imagine a scenario where a patient walks into a clinic, speaks their name, and is checked in without touching a screen or signing a form,” Patel said. “That’s the promise of ambient AI — making the healthcare experience as frictionless as possible.”
Ambient AI also extends to language translation, which is particularly valuable in diverse communities. It can translate patient and provider conversations in real-time, reducing the risk of miscommunication and ensuring patients receive the best possible care.
Beyond patient intake and check-ins, ambient AI is also improving nursing. Nurses often face a heavy administrative load, detracting from their time with patients. In collaboration with Epic Systems, Microsoft has developed an AI-driven workflow solution that helps nurses document patient interactions more efficiently.
“For nurses, the integration of AI-driven solutions into our workflows is a game changer,” said Terry McDonnell, senior vice president and chief nurse executive, Duke University Health System, and vice dean for clinical affairs, Duke University School of Nursing.
“It allows us to focus more on patient care rather than the administrative burden of documentation. By automating tedious tasks, Microsoft’s ambient AI solution helps alleviate burnout and gives us more time to connect with our patients at the bedside, where we truly make a difference.”
Ambient AI can boost the medical supply chain by making it more integrated, Carolyn Metnick, a member of Sheppard Mullin’s Corporate Practice Group and Healthcare and Privacy & Cybersecurity Teams, told PYMNTS. She said real-time responses across suppliers, providers and patients could improve forecasting accuracy, optimize inventory (from tracking expirations to managing excess), and enhance shipping and pricing strategies.
“Ambient AI can track the entire journey of a single or multiple-use device based on the assigned tag to the asset,” Metnick said. “Leveraging attributes such as expiration, sanitizing details, product usage, asset retirement, and EMR link to get real-time clinical data will lead to better patient care.”
Despite its promise to improve care, the rise of ambient AI raises some challenges. Privacy remains a concern, particularly with technologies that are always listening. Patients may worry about who has access to their data and how it is being used.
Joe Petro, corporate vice president, healthcare and life sciences solutions and platforms at Microsoft, said Microsoft adheres to responsible AI principles, ensuring that data is handled securely and in compliance with regulations like HIPAA.
“We want to make sure that while we leverage AI to transform healthcare, we are also respecting patients’ rights to privacy,” Petro said.
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