Robots could soon play a larger role in surgery thanks to recent AI developments, experts say, in a Science Robotics paper.

Advances in generative AI and other areas could enable robots to assist human surgeons during certain tasks that require significant dexterity like suturing. Under an “Augmented Dexterity” approach, a human surgeon would closely oversee the robot’s work and take over if needed.

“A surgeon’s dexterity often separates the good surgeons from the great ones,” wrote Ken Goldberg, UC Berkeley’s William S. Floyd Jr. Distinguished Chair in Engineering, and Gary Guthart, Intuitive Surgical’s chief executive officer.

“Augmented Dexterity has potential to elevate good surgeons to the level of the best surgeons, which could support faster and more reliable surgery.”

This paper, “Augmented Dexterity: How robots can enhance human surgical skills,” suggests one way the latest developments in artificial intelligence could be used to advance medicine and improve the health and wellness of society.

Surgeons already routinely use robots to conduct certain minimally-invasive procedures. But the human determines almost every move the machine makes.

With Augmented Dexterity, robots would develop and place digital images of planned maneuvers on top of live images of the surgical field. A human surgeon would review, edit and approve the plan, then supervise as the robot executes it. This could be applied to tasks like suturing and debridement, areas where surgeons’ skills vary and where small errors could harm patients.

The approach would also expand the possibilities of telesurgery, where surgeons assist with procedures remotely. For example, surgeons could switch who is controlling a robot and “create access to skilled surgeons at a distance,” the authors write.

Augmented Dexterity isn’t happening in operation rooms yet. But Intuitive Surgical, the world’s largest surgical robotics company, is “taking steps toward” developing these capabilities for robots like its da Vinci system.