From the Chair

My daughter’s car recently developed a large hole in the gas tank. This very bitter lemon of a car had many other problems and simply needed to go away. As I was looking online for new cars, my wife turned to me and said, “We should ask Jill.” Jill is what my wife has named ChatGPT because “every Jill [she] know[s] is amazing.” Jill did, in fact, prove to be extremely valuable in my search. It’s too early to know if she helped me avoid another lemon, but I am hopeful.

Most of us are using artificial intelligence (AI) tools on a regular basis. According to a recent poll from the Pew Research Center, about one-third of American adults report interacting with an AI tool daily.¹ Adoption continues to grow rapidly as these tools prove useful and gain our trust. In 2022, at ACEP Scientific Assembly, the ACEP EUS Industry Round Table (IRT) described six key domains where AI would be most useful for POCUS, including education, administrative, clinical, research, workflow, and analytics.² The IRT called on industry to think more broadly about the AI products being developed.

Today, we have strong tools in several of these domains, including some built specifically for POCUS. In many cases, however, we do not need to wait for POCUS-specific AI tools. General AI tools, like Jill, can already support many of our daily tasks related to POCUS.

As we continue our focus on POCUS AI this year, this newsletter includes several AI-focused articles, including a discussion on AI agents and how to create a grounded AI assistant. Another article explores the challenges of securing investor funding to develop POCUS AI tools. In addition, the new AI and Emerging Technology Subcommittee continues to do excellent work, including two recent webinars that will soon be available on the section’s website.

This issue also features several other excellent articles, including how to prepare residents for the new ABEM Qualifying Exam, billing updates, strategies to address common infection prevention concerns, and the use of ultrasound in evaluating the limping child.

As always, the work you do makes our section truly remarkable. Thank you for all that you do—and scan on!

References:

1. “Key Findings about How Americans View Artificial Intelligence.” Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/03/12/key-findings-about-how-americans-view-artificial-intelligence/#:~:text=Public%20awareness%20and%20usage%20of,from%2022%25%20in%20February%202024. Accessed March 21, 2026
2. 2022 ACEP EUS IRT Annual Meeting Slides. https://www.pocusworkflow.com/resources. Accessed March 21, 2026