Dominican surgeons put AI on the agenda: what matters is how those who operate are trained

By Diario Salud · November 4, 2026.

According to a Diario Salud headline, the College of Surgeons is holding a conference on artificial intelligence. The article's URL suggests it is aimed at surgical residents. The available material gives no date, venue, programme or speakers, and we won't assume them.

That is why this piece is deliberately short. All we know is that the event has been announced, not what it will cover. Any detail about what will be taught would be made up.

In our view, what matters here is the audience. A surgical resident is learning the trade just as AI is entering their workplace: imaging-based diagnostic support, preoperative planning, clinical documentation and simulation. Broadly speaking, these tools are already in use at hospitals around the world, and training is lagging behind them. When a professional college devotes a conference to the subject, it is acknowledging that the topic is now part of the job.

We believe these sessions should be guided by one principle: separating what has been proven from what has been promised. A tool that is good at classifying images is not the same as one that improves surgical outcomes. The first can be measured today. The second requires clinical studies with follow-up. A resident who knows to ask "validated in which population, and with what outcome?" will be better protected than one who only knows how to operate the tool.

In the short term there will be friction. Hospitals with fewer resources risk falling behind if access to these technologies is unequal, and nobody should hand a decision they cannot audit over to an algorithm. In the long term, AI-assisted medicine is one of the surest paths toward the vision we champion: earlier diagnoses, fewer preventable errors and better health for more people. That promise will only be kept if those who operate understand the tool rather than use it blindly.

The programme has yet to be released. If the conference just shows off products, it will be a showcase. If it covers evidence, limitations and clinical responsibility, it will be genuine training.