| Robots that perform surgery and websites that | | | | there is a natural distrust in the abilities of a |
| prescribes drugs. Phones that can scan your brain, | | | | non-human. But the fact is that human doctors |
| deliver babies and treat heart attacks. It might | | | | make a lot of mistakes themselves. In 2004, the |
| sound like pleasant fiction, but in the future these | | | | rate of misdiagnosis for fatal diseases was 20%, |
| all might be as commonplace as using a cell phone. | | | | a number which had not changed for 100 years. |
| A lot of people might not realize it, but in fact | | | | AI Doctors actually have the potential to be more |
| artificial intelligence is already being used in | | | | accurate than human doctors. This is because |
| medicine today. | | | | they draw on a plethora of information that |
| The Different Ways AI is being used in Medicine | | | | human doctors may not always remember or |
| In a children's hospital in Boston, AI is being | | | | have access to. |
| used to identify victims of abuse. The software | | | | 2. Cost and Efficiency |
| program works by looking at a patient's history. If | | | | AI doctors can keep going where human doctors |
| there are certain red flags, like repeated injuries | | | | have to stop. No matter how brilliant the doctor, |
| combined with depression, the system raises an | | | | human doctors have to rest, eat, and sometimes |
| alert. The program is said to identify patients up | | | | get sick. AI doctors can work long hours without |
| to 6 years earlier than a human doctor would | | | | getting fatigued or losing mental alertness. |
| have. | | | | 3. Replication |
| On the web, a Russian doctor has launched a | | | | Unlike human doctors, AI doctors have the |
| website, "Doctor Robot". It treats patients based | | | | potential to be mass-produced like cans of soup in |
| on their answers to a questionnaire. Doctor Robot | | | | a factory. This could potentially solve the doctor |
| is live but still evolving and even boasts an online | | | | shortage. Also, like in the phone doctor example |
| pharmacy- no prior prescriptions needed. | | | | above, it could solve the problem of patients living |
| The latest in the works now is a "doctor" | | | | in remote areas. The fact that AI doctors are |
| attached to a phone. A patient might for example | | | | walking databases of knowledge which can be |
| live in a remote area with the nearest doctor 50 | | | | easily reproduced can also have implications for |
| miles away. If the patient breaks out in blisters, | | | | how medical students train. Instead of having to |
| they can take photos of their rash with the | | | | be experts in everything, doctors might start to |
| phone. Comparing the photo with others in its | | | | use AI devices like calculators. They could use |
| database, the phone might then diagnose, say, | | | | them to crunch data, leaving them free to do the |
| chicken pox and a suitable treatment. | | | | human thinking and deciding. |
| Since AI has started being used in medicine, it's | | | | In short, AI doctors could revolutionize medicine |
| only bound to become more common as time | | | | by being more accurate, cheaper and more |
| goes on. When it becomes mainstream, AI | | | | efficient than human doctors. They will also be |
| doctors are going to change medicine. Here are | | | | able to reach more people. So we might end up |
| the ways how: | | | | living longer, healthier lives. When that happens, |
| 1. Accuracy | | | | we just might have another health focus to shift |
| Of course, computers are not perfect. And for | | | | to: population control. |
| anyone who has ever had to reboot their PC, | | | | |