Microsoft introduces new “copilot”

Microsoft has announced Dragon Copilot, an AI system for healthcare that can listen to and take notes from medical visits, among other things. The system combines voice dictation and ambient listening technology from Nuance, an AI company Microsoft acquired in 2021.

According to Microsoft, the new system can help its users streamline documentation with features like “multilingual ambient note-taking” and natural language dictation. The AI-powered assistant offers “general-purpose medical information search from trusted content sources” and the ability to automate tasks like “interview orders, note and clinical evidence summaries, referral letters, and post-visit summaries.”

The new AI aims to “relieve doctors of much of the administrative burden in healthcare” so they can focus on patient care. Microsoft says its own research has shown that doctors who used Nuance’s technology, which makes up Dragon Copilot, experienced less burnout and that 93% of their patients reported a “better overall experience.”

Microsoft is one of several companies offering such AI tools to healthcare organizations. Google also says that many healthcare organizations are using its AI to identify health risks.