Aflac President: why AI shouldn’t drive your healthcare

Every fall, cancer starts sounding louder in the national conversation.

The months between summer and winter bring multiple awareness campaigns, survivor stories, and reminders to get checked.

That attention really matters.

This year, however, that conversation is happening alongside another major shift: More Americans are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) for answers about their health.

A recent study found that 76% of Gen Z adults and 63% of millennials now turn to AI as their first line of primary healthcare — before ever seeing a doctor .

In seconds, we can search for symptoms, understand medical terminology and learn more about potential risks.

Used responsibly, AI can be an extraordinarily useful tool, but knowing more is not the same as knowing what to do next.

This is especially true when it comes to cancer.

Consistent physician care can more accurately identify signs of more serious conditions associated with symptoms that might not always seem relevant.

That is why AI should copilot but not drive our healthcare.

Being president of a Fortune 500 company means turning concepts into decisions, and decisions into action.

After more than two decades in leadership roles at Aflac , I have learned that action without guidance can quickly turn into inaction.

The best cure for that is a solid strategy that results in a viable care plan.

And this is where, when it comes to our own healthcare, we continue to fall short.