Each year, Euroanaesthesia opens with the prestigious Sir Robert Macintosh Lecture to honour people who have made extraordinary contributions to the fields of anaesthesiology and intensive care.
In light of the rapid and transformative rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare, this year’s lecture explored the profound implications of emerging technologies on this specialty. Professor Kate Leslie from the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia, delivered a thought-provoking address titled “Anaesthesia in 2050: How Emerging Technologies Will Transform Our Practice.”
Professor Leslie explored the ways AI is set to revolutionise anaesthetic care, from clinical decision-making to patient interaction, and stressed the importance of proactive engagement and ethical foresight as clinicians navigate this technological evolution. She pointed out that the time to ask the right questions and make prudent choices was now before AI became fully embedded in clinical practice.
Throughout history, human progress has been marked by pivotal technological milestones. Humans now stand at the dawn of AI, a development poised to reshape anaesthesiology in ways they are only beginning to grasp.
As highlighted by Professor Leslie, by 2050, the extent of transformation will hinge on leadership, investment, and careful deliberation of the trade-offs between human expertise and machine intelligence. Key clinical applications will likely include enhanced monitoring and predictive capabilities, closed-loop systems, robotic procedural assistance, and AI-driven decision support. Large language models may also play a role in patient communication and documentation.
Patients will benefit from AI-enabled innovations such as gene-based therapies and faster drug discovery, potentially powered by quantum computing. Yet there will remain areas where AI cannot replace human clinicians—complex decision-making, nuanced manual skills, and the irreplaceable human touch in caregiving.
The most transformative development in anaesthesia in the years to come will be prediction. AI-powered predictive capabilities will be the defining advancement in anaesthesia over the next quarter-century. From anticipating adverse events and tailoring anaesthetic plans, to guiding needle placement and optimising drug or fluid administration, prediction will elevate safety, precision, and individualisation in care.
However, anaesthesia will never be fully automated. Anaesthetists will continue to play critical roles in navigating complex situations, leading interdisciplinary teams (human and AI alike), and upholding the principles of common sense, ethics, and human empathy. The core question is not just whether AI can replace humans but whether it should.
Preserving the human touch begins now. Every interaction with a patient is an opportunity to show that clinicians understand their fears and values and take personal responsibility for their safety. At its heart, anaesthesia is a human service grounded in trust and compassion.
With respect to future applications of AI in anaesthesiology, Professor Leslie pointed out that anaesthetic drug development has seen limited innovation over the past 25 years. Technologies like AlphaFold, which, alongside quantum computing, could enable clinicians to screen billions of molecules and potentially discover safer, more effective drugs. With better genetic profiling and biomarker-based screening, it may be possible to personalise drug choice and dosage for each individual.
The patient will remain at the centre of care. Surgeons will use advanced robotics for a broader range of procedures, and automation will play a larger role. There will be access to more data on anaesthesia depth, nociception, haemodynamics, and biochemistry, feeding into closed-loop systems. Anaesthetists may work in tandem with remote colleagues and AI-based decision support, but they will remain the central figures holding the team together.
It is also important to address the ethical aspects of increased AI use in healthcare. There are concerns about the role of humans in AI-driven healthcare, data privacy, potential discrimination, growing income inequality, and the environmental impact of these technologies. It is important to remain vigilant to ensure equity, sustainability, and integrity in patient care.
Source and Image Credit: Euroanaesthesia 2025
