ai 'scribes' used in the office of a doctor in Manitoba – Winnipeg Free Press

Doctors in Manitoba began using artificial intelligence-powered memo takers to transcription in real time to meet appointments.

“It allows me to get more patient issues that are present in my patients and addressed in less time,” said Dr. Nichelle Descillet, a family doctor at NiePawa.

“AI Scribe” created a notable dent in her workload and streamlined her workflow on Friday.

The doctor, President of Manitoba, said that the new technology allowed her to begin more appointments on time and treat some walk-ins, as she didn't have to do extensive documentation with each visit.

Canada Health Infoway is recruiting 400 local primary care providers to pilot the AI Scribe program, an initiative that involves 10,000 doctors and nurses across the country.

The federally funded organization's mission is to integrate new technologies into hospitals and other healthcare settings to improve productivity and patient outcomes.

Desilets is one of those who signed up for a one-year license for Emmathia AI, sold as a mindful chart assistant via Infoway.

She also experimented with Heidi AI and another similar tool built into the clinic's electronic medical record system.

Last month, Infoway launched a new initiative after reviewing its AI tools, ensuring that it only approves programs that are in line with Manitoba's Personal Health Information Act and Coast-to-Coast Counterpart laws.

Spokesman Abhi Kalra said the goal is to use “ambient technology” to reduce the management burden in areas where boring physical labor is high.

“There's a huge amount of productivity to be tapped using AI tools safely, but it has to be done in a thoughtful way,” said Connected Care vice president.

He said AI Scribes is creating a high quality, structured summary of patient visits.

In the 2025 Workers Survey of Doctors Manitoba, only 6% of members were actively using AI scribes as of February.

Of all 1,324 respondents, seven in 10 indicated that they were interested in trying it at least once or trying it out.

(The response rate for the most recent annual membership survey is 39%, which leads to a margin of positive or negative error.)

The professional advocacy organization then created a guide to learn more about the ethical use of AI tools, and held a webinar in late June captivating over 350 participants.

Earlier this summer, upon arriving at the dermatologist's office, bioethicist Arthur Schaefer was asked if he had agreed to the use of AI scribes during his appointment.

Patients have the right to opt out, but the founding director of the Center for Professional and Applied Ethics at the University of Manitoba said he gave it.

Family physician Dr. Nichelle Desylette, president of Dr. Manitoba, at her Nee Power Clinic. (Tim Smith/Brandon Sunfell)

“Many people will feel anxious at first because there is a certain amount of technophobia and there is some degree of anxiety about artificial intelligence,” Schaefer said.

He recalls that there was also his initial skepticism when doctors moved from pen and paper to digital record keeping.

The pivot has proven ultimately beneficial for patients and healthcare professionals, Schaefer said poor prisons have caused serious accuracy and communication problems.

Infoway stakeholder consultations have found that early AI Scribes employers are often unknown about how data is being used and where it is stored.

Kara said privacy concerns related to the lack of formal guidance in the sector have led his team to dive deeper.

Infoway purchased 10,000 one-year licenses from nine “pre-qualified vendors” headquartered in Canada. They were evaluated for their respective cybersecurity practices and how they support secure data sharing, among other things.