Internationally renowned surgeon and innovator Prof Shafi Ahmed has published his new book, INTELLIGENT: The Evolution of AI Transforming Healthcare, offering a powerful and timely exploration of how artificial intelligence is reshaping modern medicine.
INTELLIGENT examines the rapid acceleration of AI across healthcare – from reading diagnostic scans and guiding surgical procedures to transforming drug discovery, medical education and clinical trials. It also addresses the growing administrative pressures faced by clinicians, and how intelligent systems can help refocus care around patients.
However, the book goes beyond technology. Prof Ahmed raises a fundamental question at the heart of this transformation: what kind of intelligence does medicine truly need?
“This is not a book about replacing doctors with machines,” said Prof Ahmed.
“It is a book about understanding what machines can do, what they cannot do, and how medicine can use AI to reduce suffering, extend life and improve care without sacrificing trust, judgement or the human presence that patients still need most.”
Drawing on his 30 years of clinical practice in the NHS and unique experiences at the forefront of digital health and surgical innovation, Prof Ahmed explores both the promise and the limitations of AI. He highlights where the technology is already delivering meaningful impact, where expectations may be outpacing reality, and where risks could emerge if systems are implemented without robust evidence, ethical oversight and clinical accountability.
Importantly, INTELLIGENT challenges the narrative of machines replacing doctors. Instead, it presents a nuanced perspective on how AI can augment human expertise, helping to reduce suffering, extend life and improve patient outcomes, while preserving the trust, judgment, and human connection that remain central to care.
Described as a thought-provoking and authoritative guide, the book offers valuable insights for clinicians, policymakers, technologists and anyone interested in the future of healthcare.
Widely known as the “world’s most watched surgeon” and a “virtual surgeon”, Ahmed has built a global reputation for pioneering the use of technology in medicine. He is an Honorary Professor at UCL Business School for Health and a Visiting Professor at Imperial College London. His previous roles include faculty positions at Singularity University and Harvard Medical School.
A three-time TEDx speaker, Prof Ahmed has delivered more than 350 keynote presentations across 65 countries. In 2020, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his humanitarian work. Over the past decade, his work has focused on the intersection of exponential technologies, innovation and clinical practice.
INTELLIGENT: The Evolution of AI Transforming Healthcare is now available on Amazon. It can be purchased here
About Professor Shafi Ahmed
A multi award winning cancer surgeon that has changed the face of medical education. Using Virtual Reality he has live streamed operations in order to educate people on a worldwide scale. Having delivered over 250 keynotes in more that 30 countries, Ahmed’s experience in the field contributes greatly to his ability to empower and inspire people with his words.
Professor Shafi Ahmed has set up surgical education programs in countries across the globe and has recently created a foundation with the aim of giving back to impoverished communities by improving access to medical training. In developing countries, people and children are forces to go without basic surgical care due to the lack of staff and facilities, through technology, the aim is to make this a problem of the past.
For more information – https://www.professorshafiahmed.com/