The Doctor Will ‘See’ You Now: How AI Is Transforming Healthcare

And that was just the Microsoft announcements.      Let’s talk healthcare, as there’s a lot to learn here for applications.

Google’s DeepMind has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) called AlphaMissense that can predict disease-causing DNA variations in the human genome. Based on the earlier protein structure prediction model AlphaFold, the AI model can identify misspellings in human DNA that are likely to cause disease. DeepMind has publicly released tens of millions of predictions to aid in uncovering the root causes of diseases and potentially accelerate diagnosis and treatment development.

Seattle-based medical technology company Proprio has developed a computer-assisted navigation platform called Paradigm, which uses AI, augmented reality, and light field imaging to help surgeons visualize and navigate spinal surgeries. The technology combines preoperative CT scans with light imaging to create a 3D view of the patient’s anatomy during surgery, eliminating the need for additional scans and potentially saving ~30 minutes of operation time.

According to a study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, ChatGPT performed as well as, in some cases, better than trained doctors in suggesting likely diagnoses for patients in emergency departments. The study found a 60% overlap between the chatbot’s diagnoses and those made by doctors, with the chatbot correctly identifying the diagnosis within the top five likely diagnoses in 97% of cases. The researchers suggest that AI could potentially support doctors in emergency medicine, leading to shorter waiting times for patients, and may be particularly useful for inexperienced doctors or in detecting rare diseases.

I wanted to showcase the work in healthcare, particularly as so much AI coverage is consumer focused.     These are not futuristic scenarios; they are happening right now, radically transforming the field of medicine.

AI’s introduction into healthcare also brings up ethical and regulatory issues, such as patient consent, data privacy, and the role of human oversight, providing yet another layer of consultation opportunities.  Circle that as the roles of a virtual CIO.