Glossary
AI scribe
Software that generates a clinical note from a patient encounter, either ambiently or from dictation.
An AI scribe is software that produces a structured clinical note from a patient encounter without requiring the clinician to type it. Modern AI scribes are ambient — they listen to the visit through a laptop or phone microphone and return a SOAP note within seconds. Older AI scribes are dictation-based and transcribe a monologue after the visit. AI scribes for small clinics are usually cloud-hosted, sign a HIPAA BAA with the practice, and integrate with the practice's EHR.