Conversation Guests

• Host, Bruce Schneier, Health Data Watchman

• Guest, Dr. Leana Wen, Transparent Physician

Artificial intelligence is already making medical decisions—often without patients realizing it. In this episode of TEDMED Conversations, Bruce Schneier and Dr. Leana Wen unpack where AI is quietly saving lives, where it falls short, and why it may be “better than no doctor at all” in many settings. They challenge the idea of AI as a replacement for clinicians, arguing instead that the real stakes lie in how power, trust, and accountability are built into these systems. The conversation cuts through the hype to ask a harder question: how do we use AI to expand care without losing the human judgment medicine depends on?

Key Discussion Points & Timestamps

AI is already embedded in healthcare (00:00)Predictive AI vs. generative AI (02:13)Speed, scale, scope, and sophistication (06:09)Will AI widen or reduce health inequities? (13:23)How AI changes medical training and roles (18:03)Trust, transparency, and accountability (25:21)How patients should use AI today (29:17)

Quotes of the Episode

1. On access and scale

“AI may not be a perfect replacement for a doctor — but in many places, it’s a powerful replacement for no doctor at all.”

— Leana Wen

2. On augmentation vs. replacement

“The future of medicine isn’t AI instead of clinicians — it’s clinicians who know how to use AI replacing those who don’t.” — Leana Wen

3. On trust and transparency

“You can’t have trust without transparency — and transparency alone isn’t enough.”

— Bruce Schneier

More from Leana and Bruce

Dr. Leana Wen

Dr. Leana Wen is a practicing physician, healthcare executive, and one of America’s leading public health experts. She is a columnist for The Washington Post, where she writes a twice-weekly column on medicine and public health and anchors the Post newsletter, "The Checkup with Dr. Wen". Previously, she served as Baltimore’s Health Commissioner. She has authored two critically-acclaimed books, including most recently Lifelines: A Doctor’s Journey in the Fight for Public Health.

Recent articles and columns: https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/leana-s-wen/

Aggregated bibliography of recent published work: https://muckrack.com/leana-s-wen/articles

Additional background, books, and media appearances: https://drleanawen.com

Bruce Schneier

Bruce Schneier is an internationally recognized security technologist, author, and public-interest advocate whose work focuses on security, technology, and society. He is a Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and a Fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, and has advised governments, corporations, and civil society on cybersecurity, privacy, and emerging technologies. Schneier has written more than a dozen influential books and publishes the long-running blog Schneier on Security. His most recent book, Rewiring Democracy: How AI Will Transform Our Politics, Government, and Citizenship , examines how artificial intelligence is reshaping democratic institutions and argues for building trustworthy, accountable systems that serve the public interest.

More of Bruce Schneier’s writing and research on security, trust, and technology: https://www.schneier.com

Connect with our Guests

Dr. Leana Wen

• Website: https://drleanawen.com
• X: https://x.com/DrLeanaWen
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drleanawen/

Bruce Schneier

• Website: https://www.schneier.com
• X: https://x.com/schneierblog
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bruce.schneier/

Join the Conversation!

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode! Comment, or send us an email at [email protected]. Follow our social media channels IG/Threads: @tedmedcommunity and X/LinkedIn: @tedmed for updates.

Thomas Abt, founding director of the Center for the Study and Practice of Violence Reduction (VRC) and associate research professor at the University of Maryland, is on a mission to reduce community violence in American cities. Drawing on rigorous research and real-world experience, Abt develops evidence-informed strategies that unite city leaders, law enforcement, public health officials, and community-based groups.

Community violence—also known as urban or street violence—is not random. It’s highly concentrated in small groups and geographic hotspots, often tied to gun and gang activity. But its ripple effects extend far beyond those directly involved, impacting entire communities through higher taxes, rising insurance premiums, and declining property values.

Abt explains how targeted, balanced, and fair interventions—backed by a systematic meta-review—offer the most effective path to safer cities. Through the work of the VRC, cities like Knoxville, Boston, and St. Louis are implementing these tailored violence reduction plans and seeing promising results.

🎧 Related Playlist: Gun Violence and What to do About It

Resources:

• Center for the Study and Practice of Violence Reduction (VRC)

• Systematic Meta-Review: What Works to Reduce Community Violence

• Thomas Abt – University of Maryland Faculty Profile

• Bleeding Out: The Devastating Consequences of Urban Violence—and a Bold New Plan for Peace in the Streets by Thomas Abt

Psychologist and bestselling author @jonathanhaidt joins Kelly Thomas, to unpack the youth mental health crisis—and how smartphones, social media, and a culture of overprotection are fueling it.

Drawing from his latest New York Times bestselling book, The Anxious Generation, Haidt reveals how today’s kids are digitally connected but developmentally deprived—and what parents, educators, and policymakers can do to help.

Related Resources:

•  ⁠Free the Anxious Generation⁠
• ⁠The Anxious Generation⁠
• ⁠After Babel⁠
• The Let Grow Experience 
• Free The Anxious Generation Guide - a toolkit, created in collaboration with Dr. Becky/Good Inside for what parents can actually do
• State Policy Map - a conversation about the work being done to establish phone-free schools across the country

#MentalHealth #DigitalWellbeing #YouthMentalHealth #TheAnxiousGeneration #JonathanHaidt #Parenting #SocialMedia #Smartphones #KidsAndScreens #TEDMED

"Every story is a brain story." This motto from the Shen Neurolaw Lab challenges us to consider why understanding the brain is essential for responsibly integrating neuroscience into the legal system. By doing so, we can improve legal decision-making and outcomes while navigating the ethical and practical challenges involved.

In this TEDMED Conversation, Francis Shen, JD, PhD, explores the dynamic intersection of neuroscience, neurotechnology, and the law, examining how:

• Brain development research is shaping legal protections

• AI plays a pivotal role in processing neural data
• Balancing brain privacy and data security presents a critical policy challenge
• Interdisciplinary collaboration is essential for progress
• Strong social connections are deeply linked to brain health

This conversation sheds light on how neuroscience is transforming the legal landscape—and why it matters.

Related content:

• https://law.umn.edu/news/2021-03-08-prof-francis-shen-wins-american-law-institutes-early-career-scholars-medal
• Dana Foundation Career Network in Neuroscience & Society: https://neuroXcareers.org/
• Conversation with Dana Foundation President: https://dana.org/article/every-story-is-a-brain-story/
• Press release for Neurotech Justice Accelerator at MGH: https://dana.org/article/neurotech-is-changing-the-way-we-treat-disease-and-understand-the-brain/
• Press release for REACH for BRAIN grant: https://www.martinos.org/reach-for-brain-improving-recruitment-engagement-and-access-for-community-health-equity-for-human-neuroimaging-research/
• Recently published book: https://academic.oup.com/book/56178
• American Law Institute talk: https://media.ali.org/annual-meeting/early-career-scholars-presentation-francis-x-shen/
• On hurdling: https://www.twincities.com/2017/08/06/umn-law-professor-glad-he-took-the-leap-to-become-masters-hurdler/

Dr. Anne Marie Albano discusses the mental health challenges faced by today's youth, particularly due to social media exposure and societal pressures with TEDMED's Director, Scientific Content, Kelly Thomas, Phd. 

She emphasizes the importance of:

• open communication
• building trust
• modeling healthy coping skills

Together parents, caregivers and educators need to create supportive environments that foster independence and resilience. We can do this by:

• setting boundaries around social media use
• promoting empathy
• encouraging lifelong learning

Dr. Albano stresses the significance of addressing anxiety early, listening to children, and gradually increasing their independence. She advocates for a balanced approach to technology to supports rather not prevent skill development.

How does the culture of a school transform when the teachers, students, and staff are no longer on their phones? How does communication improve? How does the community come together? In this TEDMED Conversation, our Director, Scientific Content, Kelly Thomas, PhD, sits down with Bill Knauer, Head of The Harvey School, to find out what’s happening on campus since they’ve transitioned to a phone free environment. So far, it’s been transformational.