‘Artificial Intelligence is a lot more like Human
Intelligence with pretty sophisticated and modern Pattern Recognition Models’
iMerit Solutions Architect
& Medical Director Sina Bari, MD talks Medical Artificial Intelligence and
its sophisticated pattern recognition models during the AI Med conference held
in Dana Point, California between 13th and 15th December 2018. According to him, a lot of times AI can seem like magic to people belonging from a non-technical background. Artificial Intelligence is actually a lot of Human Intelligence, with some sophisticated and amazing pattern recognition models to create statistically predictive models. People who are disadvantaged create a curriculum that is to their understanding. That is actually the foundation that transfers very specific but complex tasks which can be done in much larger scales, you might find it challenging to do otherwise.
Think about what we could do with an
X-ray, we are multi planning our navigation in 3D imaging, and able to segment
different parts of the neurovascular culture, we are able to identify different
parts of or different cell types within a bone marrow, so it is a pretty
complex work. And in that way, we are helping take a medical AI from an R&D
space to commercialization because the human intelligence that we need for the
medical AI to work, is equally distributed around the world but the opportunity
to it is not. Research has focused on tasks where the AI demonstrates its
performance with more accuracy in comparison to a human doctor. Generally,
these tasks have well-structured inputs and a binary output that is easily
validated. For classifying suspicious skin warts and lesions, the input is a digital photograph and the output is a simple binary classification: malignant
or benign. Researches then have to decide and demonstrate the specificity and
supersensitivity of AI more than the dermatologists when classifying the
previously unseen photographs of biopsy-validated lesions. We are here to
institute AI as supporting human intelligence, not replacing them. The
consultations will be led by human doctors as patients will be more trusting
towards them. It will be especially and ideally a support system to a large
population to situations where human expertise is a scarce resource.
What is AI in Medicine?
The term AI in medicine signifies the application of Artificial Intelligence technology or AI automated processes in the treatment and diagnosis of patients requiring care. There are a number of background processes that need to be taken care of before starting with the diagnosis and treatment of the patient such as
The term AI in medicine signifies the application of Artificial Intelligence technology or AI automated processes in the treatment and diagnosis of patients requiring care. There are a number of background processes that need to be taken care of before starting with the diagnosis and treatment of the patient such as
- Data gathering through patients interviews and test results
- Analyzing of those results
- Employing data from multiple resources to conclude upon an accurate diagnosis
- Determining a suitable treatment method
- Administering the selected treatment method
- Patient monitoring
- Follow-up, aftercare appointments, etc.
The reference of the increased application of AI in medicine means that all of the abovementioned processes will be automated and completed quickly.
Based on a study from 2016, desk work and data entry take up a lot of time from physicians and medical doctor's schedule leaving them less time to communicate and engage with patients. This is what Steven Stack meant by when he said, “what many physicians are feeling—data entry and administrative tasks are cutting into the doctor-patient time that is central to medicine and a primary reason many of us became physicians.”
The push, therefore, is not to excessively over-automate the medical and health care fields, but to deliberately and sensibly identify those areas where automation could free up time and effort. The goal is a balance between the effective use of technology and AI and the human strengths and judgment of trained medical professionals.
How is artificial intelligence used in medicine?
There is already an incredible amount of technology and automation in play in medicine, whether we realize it or not - medical records are digitized, appointments can be scheduled online, patients can check in to health centers or clinics using their phones or computers. As technology usage has increased in all areas of life, so too has it quietly changed the ways in which we seek medical care.
Based on a study from 2016, desk work and data entry take up a lot of time from physicians and medical doctor's schedule leaving them less time to communicate and engage with patients. This is what Steven Stack meant by when he said, “what many physicians are feeling—data entry and administrative tasks are cutting into the doctor-patient time that is central to medicine and a primary reason many of us became physicians.”
The push, therefore, is not to excessively over-automate the medical and health care fields, but to deliberately and sensibly identify those areas where automation could free up time and effort. The goal is a balance between the effective use of technology and AI and the human strengths and judgment of trained medical professionals.
How is artificial intelligence used in medicine?
There is already an incredible amount of technology and automation in play in medicine, whether we realize it or not - medical records are digitized, appointments can be scheduled online, patients can check in to health centers or clinics using their phones or computers. As technology usage has increased in all areas of life, so too has it quietly changed the ways in which we seek medical care.
- Decision support systems - When given a set of symptoms, DXplain comes up with a list of possible diagnoses
- Laboratory information systems - Germwatcher is designed to detect, track and investigate infections in hospitalised patients
- Robotic surgical systems - The da Vinci robotic surgical system, with robotic arms, precise movement and magnetised vision, allows doctors to precision surgery that wouldn’t be possible with an entirely manual approach
- Therapy - AI Therapy is an online course for people struggling with social anxiety
- Reducing human error - Babylon is an online application where patients in the UK can book appointments and routine tests, plus consult with a doctor online, check for symptoms, get advice, monitor their health and order test kits.
The potential for increased AI usage in medicine is not just in a reduction of manual tasks and the freeing up of physician’s time, increasing efficiency and productivity - it also presents the opportunity for us to move towards more ‘precision medicine’.
What does the future of doctors go from here?
As more studies are published and discussions had around the future of AI and automation, distinct sides to the argument do emerge, particularly when it comes to something like medicine. The general consensus is that while routine tasks and data collection/entry can and perhaps should be taken on by machines, there will always be a need for the human element of the doctor’s role, in things technology cannot provide - judgement, creativity, and empathy, for example.
This was disputed however in 2016 by Richard and Daniel Susskind, who argued in an article for HBR that, within decades, traditional professions including medicine will be dismantled, “leaving most, but not all, professionals to be replaced by less-expert people, new types of expert, and high-performing systems.”
Even the Susskind’s research, however, doesn’t suggest that the role of ‘doctor’ will completely disappear - more that it will change. Writing for Stat News, Jack Stockert points out that whilst the use of AI on its own may increase efficiency, pairing with AI also improves human performance. He states, “this hybrid model of humans and machines working together presents a scalable automation paradigm for medicine, one that creates new tasks and roles for essential medical and technology professionals, increasing the capabilities of the entire field as we move forward.”
In conclusion, then, whilst it’s unlikely that machines will replace or eradicate the need for human doctors any time soon, those already in or considering a medical profession should be willing to adapt, learn and grow alongside technological advancements. Bryan Vartabedian, a pediatric gastroenterologist practicing in The Woodlands sums it up as: “I think my profession is headed to evolution, not extinction.”
What does the future of doctors go from here?
As more studies are published and discussions had around the future of AI and automation, distinct sides to the argument do emerge, particularly when it comes to something like medicine. The general consensus is that while routine tasks and data collection/entry can and perhaps should be taken on by machines, there will always be a need for the human element of the doctor’s role, in things technology cannot provide - judgement, creativity, and empathy, for example.
This was disputed however in 2016 by Richard and Daniel Susskind, who argued in an article for HBR that, within decades, traditional professions including medicine will be dismantled, “leaving most, but not all, professionals to be replaced by less-expert people, new types of expert, and high-performing systems.”
Even the Susskind’s research, however, doesn’t suggest that the role of ‘doctor’ will completely disappear - more that it will change. Writing for Stat News, Jack Stockert points out that whilst the use of AI on its own may increase efficiency, pairing with AI also improves human performance. He states, “this hybrid model of humans and machines working together presents a scalable automation paradigm for medicine, one that creates new tasks and roles for essential medical and technology professionals, increasing the capabilities of the entire field as we move forward.”
In conclusion, then, whilst it’s unlikely that machines will replace or eradicate the need for human doctors any time soon, those already in or considering a medical profession should be willing to adapt, learn and grow alongside technological advancements. Bryan Vartabedian, a pediatric gastroenterologist practicing in The Woodlands sums it up as: “I think my profession is headed to evolution, not extinction.”
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