The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine goes back decades, but adoption in medical facilities has accelerated in recent years. Over half of all AI-powered medical devices authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have been authorized since 2023. AI is changing many aspects of medical care delivery. Here we explore how using AI in surgery is changing the way the operating room (OR) functions.
To learn more, check out the infographic below, created by the Fortis Surgical Technology program.
Physician use of AI jumped from 38% in 2023 to 81% in 2025, according to the American Medical Association. The FDA has now authorized more than 1,400 AI-powered medical devices, and more than half of those approvals came in the last two years alone. Surgery is one of the fastest-growing use cases.
A Quick History of AI in Medicine
The first FDA-authorized AI medical device arrived in 1995, using pattern-recognition imaging to improve cancer screening. The FDA cleared the first AI device for cancer diagnosis in 2019. Since then, adoption has moved from a handful of imaging tools to a full ecosystem spanning diagnostics, documentation, and surgical support.
How Physicians Are Actually Using AI
Most current AI uses sit outside the OR. Physicians report using it for documentation of billing codes and visit notes (21%), discharge instructions and care plans (20%), translation (14%), research summaries (13%), diagnostic assistance (12%), and chart summaries (12%). Surgical use is smaller today but growing quickly.
Where AI Shows Up in the Operating Room
Radiology and Diagnostics
AI has already changed pathology and radiology workflows. Research from the American College of Surgeons found that AI helped reduce errors in identifying cancerous lymph nodes from 3.4% to 0.5%. In one comparison, an AI algorithm reviewed X-rays in 90 seconds; board-certified radiologists took four hours for the same task.
Intraoperative Imaging
During procedures, AI tools reduce image noise, enhance contrast, and segment images to highlight critical structures. Some systems can recognize and label surgical phases automatically, which cuts down on operative errors.
Predicting Risk and Optimizing Schedules
AI models analyze patient data to flag those at higher risk of complications, improving preoperative planning. They also predict how long procedures will take, helping hospitals schedule ORs more efficiently and reduce bottlenecks. Some systems even support triage decisions for incoming trauma patients.
Case in Point: Mayo Clinic Cardiac Surgery
At the Mayo Clinic, cardiac surgeons use AI to improve diagnostic accuracy, assess operative risk, and personalize procedures based on preoperative health data. The result is more tailored postoperative care and better use of surgical resources.
Why It Matters for Surgical Teams
AI's biggest impact in the OR right now is efficiency. It predicts surgery duration, tracks instruments in real time, and monitors procedures for deviations from the expected plan. Robotic systems can already tie knots and sutures, standardizing steps in procedures like hernia repairs and appendectomies.
The benefits extend to training too. AI-driven simulations give surgical staff individualized feedback and immediate skill assessments, something traditional training methods can't easily replicate.
Surgical Technologists Are Part of This Shift
Surgeons aren't the only ones benefiting. Surgical technologists who learn to work with AI tools can improve sterilization accuracy, spend less time on documentation, and take on more responsibility during procedures. As AI keeps expanding its footprint in the OR, staying current on these tools isn't optional. It's becoming part of the job.
Bottom line: AI adoption in surgery is still early compared to administrative use cases, but the trajectory is clear. Surgical teams that build AI fluency now, from imaging to prediction to training, will be better positioned as these tools become standard in the OR.