AI in Spine Surgery: Assistant Today, Replacement Tomorrow?

AI in Spine Surgery: Assistant Today, Replacement Tomorrow?

From The NASS Podcast by North American Spine Society

April 9, 2026 · 37 min

About this episode

This episode discusses the current and future impact of AI on spine surgery and medical practice.

In this episode, Eric J. Muehlbauer, MJ, CAE, executive director and CEO of the North American Spine Society (NASS), joins spine surgery fellow Uri P. Hadelsberg, MD, MBA for a forward-looking conversation on how AI is already influencing clinical decision-making, surgical workflows, patient triage, and medical education and what may come next. <br><br> From real-time image recognition in endoscopic procedures to tools that streamline insurance authorization and coding, they explore where AI is delivering value today and where it may fundamentally transform practice tomorrow. <br><br> The discussion also tackles bigger questions facing the field:<br><br> • Could autonomous robotic procedures become reality? <br><br> • How might AI change training requirements and scope of practice? <br><br> • What legal and regulatory challenges still stand in the way? <br><br> • And how should clinicians respond as patients increasingly turn to AI for self-diagnosis? <br><br> Whether you're a spine specialist, healthcare professional, or simply curious about the future of surgical innovation, this episode offers…

People in this episode

Host: Eric J. Muehlbauer

Guest: Uri P. Hadelsberg

Topics covered

  • AI in medicine
  • spine surgery
  • clinical decision-making
  • surgical workflows
  • medical education
  • autonomous procedures
  • legal challenges

Keywords

  • AI
  • spine surgery
  • clinical decision-making
  • surgical innovation
  • robotic procedures
  • medical education
  • patient triage

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: North American Spine Society

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