In this DHCG Disruptive Dose episode, Mark Bard of the DHC and RJ Lewis of E Healthcare Solutions discuss AI’s disruptive impact on the medical publishing industry. Lewis notes that as search becomes an “answer engine,” it serves physicians better but poses an “existential risk” to publishers. This trend is already causing web traffic for commercial publishers to plummet by 40-50%, threatening the ad-revenue models that fund the creation of medical content and research.

Drawing parallels to the decline of the news industry, Lewis expresses concern that medical publishing could be similarly gutted. To survive, publishers must explore new models, such as charging users or LLMs for subscriptions to access unique, high-value content. The discussion highlights the possibility of new aggregators emerging, like an “Open Evidence” becoming the Spotify of medical research. They conclude that the future is uncertain and changing rapidly, but the current publishing model is facing a significant threat.