Experts Reflect on Ideas From MiBA 2025 That Will Propel the Future of AI-Driven Oncology

The inaugural MiBA Community Summit provided a unique opportunity for health care professionals and technology developers alike to gather and share insights about how burgeoning artificial intelligence (AI) trends and platforms can help oncologists manage daily tasks, keep up with evolving treatment practices, and ultimately carve more time in their days to invest in the most valuable aspect of their profession: face-to-face patient care.

“My biggest takeaway is the ongoing use of technology to improve the care we provide,” Lalan Wilfong, MD, of Texas Oncology in Frisco and Rowlett, summarized of the meeting as a whole. “We’ve been using technology, but we’re on the cusp of big [advances] where we’re going to change the way we manage and deliver cancer care for the better.”

How Can Collaborations Between Oncologists and Technologists Help Advance AI Innovations in Oncology?

“The passion, especially in the conversations in the hallway and in the talks, has been encouraging,” according to Beau Hilton, MD, of Genesis Cancer and Blood Institute (GCBI) in Hot Springs, Arkansas. “It makes me feel good about where we are and where we’re going and to see the opportunities we have. For example, talking about predicting when a patient is likely to pass away brought up so many fantastic, impassioned questions and ideas from the oncologists.

“[There is] collaborative aspect of [bringing together] the technologists, the clinicians, and pharmaceutical companies. Everybody has a stake in it, and everybody is trying to move toward helping people in a better way than they ever have before, helping people be more well, be at home when they should be at home, be in the hospital when they should be in the hospital. Everybody wants those passionately. With many of these tools now, we can and are bridging gaps between those fields that have been separated for so long: the technologists and the domain experts—in this case, the people writing the software and the oncologists. I’m encouraged by that, and I’m excited to see where we go next.”

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During the meeting, OncLive® reported insights from a presentation about the benefits of integrating AI into clinical practice, as well as barriers that remain.1 The presenter, Kashyap Patel MD, ABIM, BCMAS, of Carolina Blood and Cancer Care Associates in Rock Hill, South Carolina, noted that implementing pilot AI programs into clinical practice and establishing enhanced collaboration between oncologists and AI technology vendors may help bolster the success of these platforms.

Additionally, in Wilfong’s presentation at the summit, he explained the importance of value-based oncology partners, which can provide robust care navigation systems that health care institutions can use to improve patient outcomes.2 He noted that AI may help solidify these systems by performing administrative tasks and fulfilling other needs.

What Is the Importance of AI-Focused Education for Health Care Professionals?

“[My biggest takeaway was] the audience’s reaction when we talked about AI and the way we talked about it,” Jim Chen, MD, of GCBI, emphasized. “[Brian P. Mulherin, MD, of Hematology Oncology of Indiana in Indianapolis], made a good point that we don’t have good education regarding AI in health care. Not many programs even have that as part of their curriculum. One of the biggest takeaways is, like [Douglas Flora, MD, LSSBB, of St. Elizabeth Cancer Center in Edgewood, Kentucky], said, embrace this technology and be an advocate for the general oncologist that this is a revolutionary technology that will change the way we do things, and hopefully for the better. We want to keep trying to hit that point home.”

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In his presentation, Chen explained how with proper training, oncologists will be able to use AI-based systems to gather patient data, review relevant research, take notes, track patient update, and monitor treatment efficacy and safety.3 However, he noted that the success and usefulness of these tools ultimately hinges on careful, knowledgeable oversight from the oncologists at the other end of the screen.

Mulherin’s presentation dove further into the topic of AI education, cautioning oncologists to only use AI tools to aid in their understanding of the broadening field, and emphasizing the need to fact check generated summaries of research and guidelines before making clinical decisions.4

What Are Small Ways That Oncologists Can Begin to Integrate AI Into Their Research and Clinical Practices?

“[I wanted] the audience to lean in with curiosity,” Flora said of his hope for the meeting’s effect on attendees. “I wanted to paint with a broad brush stroke how these [developments] are coming at us regardless of our willingness to accept it. We can bury our head in the sand, act concerned, and let it happen to us like we did with the arrival of the electronic medical record [approximately] 15 years ago, or we can study, dig in, and start to get in the sandbox ourselves because we’re curious.

“Figure it out for yourself. Spend an hour on ChatGPT, even if you’re just planning a family vacation. Get on Claude and write something. Do some research on Perplexity to find the 10 sources you’ll want to read to become a master of your next slide deck. Go to Gemini to build the slides. Go to Gamma, and your entire PowerPoint presentation [can be generated with] a 3-sentence prompt.

“These are [tools] that will give doctors I care about time back in the day to let them face the patients again, to spend time doing what oncologists are supposed to be doing. While the world is trying to pull us away from that relationship with all the time we spend on all the paperwork, let’s get back in the room with the patient. We’re not going to be replaced [by AI]; we’re going to be augmented.”

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Across Flora’s presentations at the meeting, he expressed his excitement for evolving AI platforms, many of which are already making waves in his practice and the day-to-day work lives of his colleagues. He highlighted the advantages of point-of-care educational models, which can serve as “copilots” that integrate into existing workflows and provide real-time clinical and research guidance similar to suggestions offered by other team members.5 He also noted the importance of oncologists becoming familiar with AI tools to ensure they are being implemented responsibly, as well as the need for health care professionals to participate in discussions about these platforms to maintain autonomy and ensure AI evolves to solve problems, not create new ones.6 

References

1. AI Offers Multitude of Benefits in Community Practice, But Barriers to Implementation Remain. Doherty K. September 29, 2025. Accessed October 2, 2025. https://www.onclive.com/view/ai-offers-multitude-of-benefits-in-community-practice-but-barriers-to-implementation-remain
2. Simplifying Care Navigation in Oncology: A Painless Path to Better Support. Seymour C. September 28, 2025. Accessed October 2, 2025. https://www.onclive.com/view/simplifying-care-navigation-in-oncology-a-painless-path-to-better-support
3. AI-Based Tools Offer Clinical Decision-Making Support in Community Practice. Doherty K. September 29, 2025. Accessed October 2, 2025. https://www.onclive.com/view/ai-based-tools-offer-clinical-decision-making-support-in-community-practice
4. From Overload to Insight: Why AI Is Becoming an Essential Partner in Oncology. Seymour C. September 28, 2025. Accessed October 2, 2025. https://www.onclive.com/view/from-overload-to-insight-why-ai-is-becoming-an-essential-partner-in-oncology
5. AI Clinical Decision Support Systems Act as “Copilots” to Enhance Patient Care. Wahner A. September 28, 2025. Accessed October 2, 2025. https://www.onclive.com/view/ai-clinical-decision-support-systems-act-as-copilots-to-enhance-patient-care
6. Flora Charts the Future of AI in Community Cancer Care. Seymour C. September 27, 2025. Accessed October 2, 2025. https://www.onclive.com/view/flora-charts-the-future-of-ai-in-community-cancer-care