Ellison Institute CEO David Agus tells LA Health Commission AI can speed diagnoses, drug design and expand access
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Summary
Dr. David Agus told the Los Angeles Health Commission that artificial intelligence is accelerating drug discovery, enabling faster diagnostics and could democratize care by making complex imaging and records analysis cheaper and more widely available; commissioners pressed on bias, security and potential worker impacts.
Dr. David Agus, CEO of the Ellison Medical Institute and a physician, told the Los Angeles Health Commission that artificial intelligence is already shortening drug-development timelines and helping clinicians make faster diagnoses.
“It's a crazy time in our space,” Agus said, describing AI-driven drug discovery and an instance in which image analysis and genetic inference allowed a patient to go home on a targeted pill the day after presenting with a seizure. He cited an observational analysis by Kaiser that, according to his presentation, associated shingles vaccination with more than a 50 percent reduction in Alzheimer’s incidence in people over age 50, and noted multiple non-randomized studies that point to vaccine-associated reductions in dementia risk.
Why it matters: Commissioners said the potential for AI to improve outcomes and lower costs could be substantial for Los Angeles residents, but they also pressed for specificity about equity, data security and workforce effects. Dr. Agus said cloud-based systems and data standards can make records portable and give patients control over access, and he argued that cloud vendors have stronger security resources than many local hospital systems.
Commissioners repeatedly asked whether AI would worsen bias or displace workers. Commissioner Calfani asked how AI can be designed to address medical bias and whether marginalized patients will be seen and treated appropriately. Agus responded that AI creates feedback loops and can be trained on metadata to individualize recommendations, calling it “the power of AI” to adapt to culture and practice styles. Commissioner Shannon, a cancer survivor and union-affiliated commissioner, raised concerns about worker displacement and whether automation will widen inequities for uninsured or unhoused people; Agus said his view is that AI will augment clinicians and lower costs so more people can be reached with available resources.
On security, Agus cited a recent spike in ransomware attacks affecting hospitals and urged professional cloud storage; he noted that Oracle (owner of Cerner) is moving systems to the cloud and that patients could use QR-based access to transfer records, placing the patient in control of data sharing.
What remains unresolved: Agus presented several bold claims (including the Kaiser-linked vaccine finding and a rapid pipeline for AI-driven drugs) based on observational studies and demonstrations; commissioners asked for follow-up presentations from labor representatives and health-system officials to provide counterpoints on workforce impacts, and asked the research associates to provide sources and citations for studies referenced.
Next steps: Commissioners asked staff to invite additional presenters, including union representatives and health systems, so the commission can hear a broader set of perspectives on AI in health care.
