Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation in General Surgery: Applications, Limitations, and Future Directions

The final chapter explores the rapidly expanding application of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital health technologies within the field of general surgery, covering AI-assisted image analysis in pathology and radiology, predictive modeling for surgical risk stratification, computer vision-based intraoperative guidance, and natural language processing in surgical documentation. It provides a balanced critical appraisal of current limitations, validation challenges, ethical considerations, and the translational pathway required to bring AI-based surgical innovations from proof of concept to safe, equitable, and evidence-based clinical deployment.