Note: This article is taken from my upcoming book “Ada + Cerise = an AI Journey” (Where AI meets humanity), where understanding and popularizing AI come to life through fiction. Ada is a nod to Ada Lovelace, a visionary mathematician and the world’s first programmer. And Cerise is my 17-year-old daughter, my sounding board for testing ideas and simplifying concepts—just as Richard Feynman would have done.
In Dr. Martin’s office, an unusual consultation is taking place. The doctor sits across from Mrs. Dubois, a long-time patient who has come for her quarterly check-up. While he listens attentively to her describe her new symptoms, his eyes occasionally glance at an elegant interface installed on his desk. On the screen, Ada, an artificial intelligence specially designed for medical assistance, analyzes in real-time every piece of information exchanged. She silently compares the described symptoms with the patient’s complete medical history, the latest scientific publications, and thousands of similar documented cases from around the world.
This seemingly ordinary scene, where the doctor’s attentive gaze meets the lightning-fast analyses of the machine, where the warmth of human exchange blends with digital precision, perfectly illustrates the revolution currently transforming our healthcare system: phygital. A revolution that doesn’t manifest through robots in white coats or automated diagnoses, but through a subtle and almost invisible fusion between traditional medical wisdom and the dizzying possibilities of digital technology.
The term “phygital“, a delicate fusion between physical and digital, transcends simple technological integration in the care journey. Where some see a confrontation between medical tradition and digital modernity, it proposes a subtle alliance, a symbiosis where each element enriches the other with its own strengths. This approach embodies a new medical philosophy, where artificial intelligence comes to enhance—not replace—the privileged relationship between doctor and patient.
“Phygital,” explains Cerise, the engineer who contributed to Ada’s development, “is like a discreet assistant who supports the doctor without ever interfering in the singular dialogue.” She adds, observing a consultation: “It’s fascinating to see how technology can be so discreet yet so powerful. Ada processes millions of data points in silence, but the final decision always remains in the hands of the doctor, nourished by their experience, intuition, and deep knowledge of their patients.“
This approach marks a break from the technicist vision that has long prevailed in the computerization of medicine. It’s no longer about imposing rigid protocols or automated systems, but about creating an environment where technology and medical practice naturally complement each other, like two tuned instruments playing the same score.
The symphony of modern care
In this new approach, each consultation becomes a moment where the age-old art of medicine merges with digital possibilities, like a duet where each instrument plays its part while harmonizing with the other. The doctor’s office transforms into a space where tradition and innovation coexist without clashing, where technology fades behind the essential: the doctor-patient relationship.
While Dr. Martin observes, listens, and dialogues with his patient, establishing that irreplaceable human connection, Ada analyzes in the background the medical data, patient history, and the latest scientific publications. Her algorithms weave invisible links between the described symptoms, family history, previous test results, creating a web of understanding that enriches—without ever replacing—the doctor’s expertise.
This “AI in human collaboration” embodies a new vision of medical artificial intelligence, where technology and practitioner work together, each bringing their unique strengths to serve the patient. It doesn’t dictate the doctor’s conduct—it accompanies their reflection, like a second opinion always available, a discreet presence that augments the practitioner’s capabilities without ever hindering their judgment. As Dr. Martin points out: “Ada sometimes reminds me of details I might have forgotten, suggests avenues I might not have explored immediately. But in the end, it’s my clinical experience, my knowledge of the patient, and my medical judgment that guide my decisions. AI is there like a discreet member of the care team, knowing its place while providing real added value.“
In this subtle dance between human and technology, each partner plays their role with precision. The doctor remains the conductor, the one who sets the tempo and interprets the score, while Ada acts as a digital music stand that enriches the melody without ever distorting it.
Democratizing access to care: an ethical imperative
In rural areas, where access to specialists can be a real challenge, phygital opens new perspectives. For inhabitants of these “medical deserts“, each specialist consultation can mean several hours of travel, lost workdays, and waiting times that often count in months.
Dr. Martin can now, thanks to Ada, refine his diagnoses and adapt his prescriptions by relying on a constantly updated knowledge base. “Just yesterday,” he recounts, “I was able to detect early a rare pathology in an elderly patient who could never have traveled to the university hospital 200 kilometers from here. Ada highlighted correlations between her symptoms that allowed me to quickly guide the diagnosis.“
Teleconsultations, enriched by this artificial intelligence, allow more regular monitoring of distant patients, creating a bridge between medical expertise and accessibility. It’s no longer patients who must adapt to the constraints of the healthcare system, but technology that adapts to their needs. People with reduced mobility, isolated parents, shift workers finally find in phygital a solution adapted to their constraints.
This democratization is not limited to the geographical aspect. Phygital also allows breaking down cultural and linguistic barriers. Ada can, for example, facilitate communication with non-French-speaking patients, translating exchanges in real-time while preserving the human dimension of the consultation. A precious advancement in an increasingly diverse society.
Personalization as a medical art
One of the most fascinating promises of phygital lies in its ability to weave links between seemingly disparate data. Like a diagnostic craftsman, Ada patiently assembles the pieces of a complex puzzle: subtle variations in blood tests over the years, minor side effects noted during a consultation, family history mentioned several months ago, the patient’s lifestyle habits.
When a patient presents with complex symptoms, Ada can suggest correlations that even an experienced practitioner might miss. “It’s like having a colleague who has read all the medical literature,” smiles Dr. Martin, “but knows how to stay in his assistant role.” He remembers a recent consultation where Ada established an unexpected link between a patient’s chronic headaches and a change in work environment that occurred six months earlier, a correlation that had escaped classical examinations.
This personalization is not limited to diagnosis. It extends to the very way information is presented to the doctor. Ada adapts to each practitioner’s practice habits, highlighting the elements they consult most often, organizing data according to their preferences. “It’s as if Ada learns to speak each doctor’s language,” observes Dr. Martin, “making technology truly transparent, almost intuitive.“
In this new approach, medicine remains an art, but an art augmented by technology. The doctor retains his role as the main interpreter, the one who gives meaning to the data, who perceives the unspoken, who understands the unique context of each patient. Ada acts as a valuable assistant, enriching this human perception without ever claiming to replace it.
The subtle orchestration of the care journey
In the daily life of the medical office, phygital also transforms the patient experience. “Before,” recounts Dr. Martin as he scrolls through his digital agenda, “I spent considerable time managing administrative aspects. Today, Ada orchestrates all that behind the scenes.“
Appointments are organized fluidly, adapted to everyone’s constraints. “Just this morning,” he continues, “Ada noticed that an elderly patient systematically had difficulty traveling on rainy days. She automatically suggested moving her next appointment, initially scheduled on a day of bad weather, while checking that it didn’t disrupt her ongoing treatment. It’s these little attentions that change everything.“
Follow-up becomes more regular, enriched by constant but non-intrusive communication. “Yesterday, Ada alerted me that Mr. Dubois hadn’t renewed his hypertension treatment. A simple message later, we had identified an uncomfortable side effect he didn’t dare tell me about. We were able to adjust the treatment before the situation deteriorated.“
Information circulates transparently between different healthcare actors, creating true continuity of care. “It’s as if we have finally managed to break down the invisible walls between different specialties,” enthuses Dr. Martin. “When I send a patient to a cardiologist, Ada ensures that all relevant information is transmitted, organized according to each practitioner’s preferences. No more need to multiply redundant examinations or play guessing games with medical history.“
This digital orchestration frees up precious time that the doctor can devote to the essential: listening to and supporting his patients. “Technology doesn’t replace the human relationship,” insists Dr. Martin, leaning over his desk, “it makes room for it. I can finally concentrate on what really matters: understanding unexpressed concerns, detecting subtle signs that don’t appear in any medical record, building the trust that is at the heart of our profession.“
The doctor smiles, showing his stethoscope: “You see, this instrument remains essential, but today it coexists harmoniously with digital technology. Phygital is exactly that: preserving the essence of medicine while enriching it with digital possibilities.“
An ethical and human evolution
As evening falls, with the last rays of sunlight caressing the blinds of his office, Dr. Martin finishes his consultations. In this moment of calm where the day stretches towards its end, he observes his reflection on the screen that has just turned off. Thirty years of medical practice are reflected in his eyes, silent witnesses to a profession in constant evolution.
“There is something deeply reassuring,” he whispers while meticulously putting away his equipment, “in the way phygital has integrated into our practice. It’s not the brutal revolution that some feared, but rather like a companion who has learned to dance with us, adapting to our rhythm, respecting our values.“
Phygital hasn’t transformed the essence of his profession—it has enriched it, like an artist discovering new colors for his painting without renouncing his technique. Technology has placed itself at the service of humanity with an almost surprising delicacy, reinforcing rather than replacing medical judgment. “Perhaps that’s the most beautiful part,” he reflects, leafing through the handwritten notes he continues to take, “we didn’t have to choose between tradition and modernity. We found this balance where each tool, whether digital or traditional, finds its rightful place.“
Cerise, who sometimes observes Ada’s use in the office, often remains silent in the corner of the room, her notebook in hand. Her gaze navigates between Dr. Martin and Ada’s interface, capturing those precious moments when technology and humanity naturally harmonize. She sees in it the confirmation of a deep conviction: tomorrow’s medicine will be phygital not by technological obligation, but because this approach allows refocusing medical practice on its most essential dimension—the human relationship.
“What fascinates me,” she confides during an interview, “is seeing how Ada’s presence transforms the very space of the consultation. Screens no longer create a barrier—they fade away. The doctor is no longer a prisoner of administrative tasks or information searches. He can finally devote himself fully to that unique moment that is the encounter with his patient.“
In this future taking shape before her eyes, medicine paradoxically becomes more human thanks to digital technology, as if technology, by taking charge of the mechanical aspects of the profession, freed the necessary space for the expression of humanity. It becomes more personal thanks to artificial intelligence, which allows weaving ever finer links between the different facets of each patient. More accessible too, breaking down the geographical and social barriers that until now limited access to care.
“The most remarkable thing,” continues Cerise while observing a consultation, “is that this evolution remains deeply anchored in the ethics of care. We haven’t created augmented medicine at the expense of its fundamental values—we have, on the contrary, given these values the means to express themselves fully. It’s as if technology had finally found its rightful place: not as an end in itself, but as an instrument in the service of humanity.“
In her notebook, Cerise notes these revealing little moments: a doctor who can maintain eye contact throughout a consultation, an elderly patient who feels listened to and understood, a medical discussion enriched by relevant data without being overwhelmed by it. “Phygital,” she concludes, “is perhaps simply medicine becoming again what it should never have ceased to be: a profoundly human art, supported but never replaced by technology.“
Phygital or the return to the roots of medicine
This reflection by Cerise touches on the very essence of the phygital revolution in medicine. Over the decades, the multiplication of administrative tasks, the increasing complexity of protocols, the explosion of medical knowledge have gradually distanced practitioners from the heart of their vocation: the human accompaniment of their patients. Technology, paradoxically, now allows this return to fundamentals.
Phygital does not represent yet another layer of technological complexity, but rather a simplification, a clarification of each one’s role. By taking charge of the time-consuming and repetitive aspects of the profession, artificial intelligence allows doctors to refocus on their uniquely human skills: empathy, intuition, the ability to establish a relationship of trust, to detect the unspoken, to accompany patients on their care journey.
This approach perhaps marks the end of an era where technology and humanity were systematically opposed. In Dr. Martin’s office, these two dimensions coexist harmoniously, each enriching the other without seeking to dominate it. The stethoscope sits alongside the touch screen, handwritten notes dialogue with digital analyses, human expertise is nourished by the processing capabilities of artificial intelligence.
Phygital thus reminds us that medicine, before being a science, is an art—the art of healing, listening, understanding. Technology does not come to replace this age-old art, but offers it a new setting where it can fully flourish. In this return to roots facilitated by digital technology, medicine perhaps rediscovers its primary vocation: to be that privileged moment where a caregiver puts all their humanity at the service of that of a patient.