When some people think of artificial intelligence (AI), they see images of students hunched over laptops at 11:59 p.m. debating whether or not to use ChatGPT or asking Siri and Alexa simple questions. But beyond these everyday uses, researchers at Stony Brook University see AI as a powerful tool for advancing medical discovery. These research projects, including work in radiology, drug development, and data-driven clinical research, are designed to show how AI can aid physicians rather than replace them.

Zhaozheng Yin
Zhaozheng Yin

Stony Brook, NY, December 18, 2025 — When a patient with cancer comes in for radiation therapy, one of the most time-consuming steps happens long before any beam is turned on. Clinicians must decide exactly how much radiation each part of the body should receive: enough to destroy the tumor, but not so much that it harms nearby healthy organs.

Critics warn that AI’s potential for bias, lack of true empathy, and limited human oversight could actually endanger users’ mental health, especially among vulnerable groups like children, teens, people with mental health conditions, and those experiencing suicidal thoughts.