Is it just me? I ask that question often. When I’m reaching for a sweater while everyone else is in t-shirts. When I’m the only one laughing in a movie theater. Or when some bit of tech in my house stops working and, despite a long career in IT, I can’t fix it on the first try.
I asked it again during a completely unscientific LinkedIn poll about meetings. It turns out 89 percent of respondents spend so much time in meetings, it’s equivalent to flying cross-country every day. We’ve all seen the memes: this meeting could have been an email. This email could have been a text. But lately I find myself asking a deeper question: does this meeting even need me?
That question becomes more pressing as generative AI continues to evolve. In episode 17 of his “100 in 100 AI” series, Jamal Khan, Chief Growth and Innovation Officer at Connection, shared a perspective that stuck with me.
“AI is not just a tool,” he said. “It is designed with a fundamentally different goal, not to assist, but to replicate human cognition. The entire arc of AI research has been about replacing the core of what we think makes work skilled.”
Jamal and I had discussed this in a recent webinar but hearing it again in the series landed differently. For the past two years, I’ve told myself a comforting story. AI won’t replace humans. It will replace humans who don’t use AI. But lately, that story has felt a little hollow. If all it takes is a well-crafted prompt to produce the same outcome, then what makes my contribution meaningful?
I’ve seen more and more “open to work” banners from smart, capable people at respected companies. Maybe “corporate restructuring” is just a tidy way to say, “replaced by AI.” Financial efficiency is a powerful motivator, and agentic AI delivers it in spades.
Some days, I leaf through the 2025–2026 Catalog of Classes from the Huntington Beach Adult School, and wonder if it’s time to pivot to something hands-on. Something where prompts don’t matter, and no machine can take your place. But then I remember why I still believe in the work we do.
So yes, AI in healthcare is about replacement. Some roles, some tasks, and some workflows will be automated. That shift is already happening. According to Forrester, 46 percent of U.S. healthcare organizations are already running generative AI in production at the department level.1 But that is just one side of the story. Forrester also reports that half of the top 10 U.S. health insurers are now adopting AI to strengthen member advocacy roles.2
Not everything can or should be replaced. Human experience still matters. There is immense value in clinical judgment, emotional intelligence, and patient connection. The opportunity now is to use AI to support those strengths, not erase them.
At Connection, we are partnering with healthcare organizations that want to approach AI thoughtfully. We are helping teams explore how vision models, generative tools, and specialized computing can reduce administrative load, improve operational efficiency, and enable more focused care.
If your organization is ready to have an honest conversation about what AI can do and what it should do, we are here. The CNXN Helix Center for Applied AI and Robotics Team at Connection brings a blend of technical insight and real-world healthcare experience to every conversation. Let’s figure out what is worth replacing, what is worth rethinking, and what is worth protecting.
Sources:
- https://www.forrester.com/blogs/generative-ai-impact-on-clinicians-bringing-the-fever-down/
- https://www.forrester.com/blogs/predictions-2025-healthcare/
Jennifer Johnson
Jennifer Johnson, Director Healthcare Strategy and Business Development, joined Connection in 2010 starting in field sales and joined the healthcare practice in 2015. Jennifer has more than 20 years in IT, including prior roles in distribution and manufacturing. Jennifer holds her Certified Digital Health Leader designation from the CHIME organization and is a member of HIMSS, where Connection is a diamond sponsor. Jen was named CRN Women of the Channel in 2023 and 2024 and holds certifications from NVIDIA (AI Advisor- Sales) and Dell Technologies (AI Champion- Partner Sales).
