December 19, 2025

Now, on to the news…

A decade ago, about 40 artificial intelligence systems were approved for clinical use. Today, more than 1,200 are FDA-approved.

Most AI applications help doctors read radiological scans. Others help predict which hospital patients are likely to suffer from complications during their stay. And some help to manage staffing levels and track supplies.

“The AI-driven transformation of health care is in its early stages, so precise estimates of its benefits are hard to come by,” James B. Meigs writes. “But researchers predict significant improvements in cancer screening, cardiac care, and other branches of medicine.”

Of course, that doesn’t mean the shift will be completely without risks. Large language models can hallucinate, for instance, and generate incorrect information, potentially leading doctors and nurses astray.

But even so, Meigs argues, the benefits of AI in medicine appear dramatically to outweigh the risks.

Read his take.

In touting his LGBTQ platform, New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has called it a “moral obligation” to make medical transition available to New Yorkers of all ages. He wants to protect “affirming care,” expand the number of clinics, and reinforce social affirmation of minors in schools.

“The vision of ‘affirming care’ peddled by Mamdani is likely to harm New York City youth, who will invariably be pushed toward medical transition,” Joseph Figliolia writes. “As critics point out, the ‘affirming care’ model often prioritizes patient ‘embodiment goals’ when making treatment decisions, while paying lip service to psychological evaluation and assessment.”

Read more on why Mamdani’s stance is so problematic.

The Manhattan Institute is proud to serve as the Principal Institutional Partner for the Sun Valley Policy Forum’s 2026 Winter Summit in the iconic resort town of Sun Valley, Idaho on February 11, 2026.

We are thrilled to join Joe Lonsdale and MI senior fellow Christopher F. Rufo for an evening on principled leadership and the future of American institutions in an AI-driven era. Please click here to learn more about the Sun Valley Policy Forum and our partnership and to purchase tickets at a discounted rate for friends of the Manhattan Institute.

“Whether the death penalty is cruel or not is a matter of opinion best left to the judgment of our elected representatives in Congress who represent the will of the people. Not the Supreme Court, which answers only to itself.

As to whether it’s unusual or not, simply making it common takes it out of the realm of the unusual.”

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David C., commenting on the death penalty

Photo credit: Klaudia Radecka/NurPhoto/Getty Images