Last summer, a machine watched 17 hours of surgical video, and then, without a human hand guiding it, removed a gallbladder. The procedure was a milestone , showing that AI could work into the operating room—and not just as an assistant. But it also was a distraction from the true power of AI to assist surgeons, which has little to do with cutting. For most patients, a surgery does not begin with an incision or end when they are wheeled out of the operating room. It might start with a sore knee , a fall, or a radiology scan revealing bad news. Then there are the myriad choices one faces, from whether to have a surgery or not to picking the right surgeon and best procedure. And it continues long after the stitches come out, with physical therapy , scar tissue, and the frustrating timeline of healing. It is across this long spectrum of time—full of complex conversations and decisions—that AI has the power to transform surgery. In many other corners of medicine, AI is already changing patient care.…