**10. Future implications for surgeons**

Though important barriers must be addressed before AI/ML can be more broadly implemented in direct patient care, it is evident how powerful AI/ML can be in finding patterns and facilitating/directing clinical care in the future. While some surgeons may be concerned about AI replacing job opportunities in the future, AI should instead be seen as a dynamic tool for enhancing surgeons' abilities to provide optimal patient care. AI algorithms in the near future will potentially improve the diagnosis of conditions and enhance the prediction of complications. These algorithms can consolidate vast amounts of data—more than any surgeon could reasonably cognitively process—and thus may be ideal in helping surgeons identify patients at risk
