While the concept of receiving medical care from an AI-powered robot may still seem like something out of a Hollywood film, artificial intelligence is actually quite real in the healthcare sector. Researchers and providers frequently use AI-powered technologies to improve healthcare efficiency, lower errors, and advance therapies.
Dr. Mona Flores, the worldwide head of medical AI at NVIDIA, says, “AI is a support and augmentation tool, and it’s up to us to harness its power for the good.”
HealthTech talked with three prominent figures in the field about the different kinds of AI used in healthcare, the advantages for both patients and providers, and the considerations that physicians should make when implementing AI
Which Artificial Intelligence Categories Are There?
Artificial intelligence can be divided into two categories:Â
- Functional Â
- Intelligent.
The first category of AI is system type:
1. Reactive
Reactive machines, the simplest type of artificial intelligence, react to outside stimuli but are incapable of forming memories or learning from prior experiences.
2. IMPARTIAL MEMORY
This category includes almost all of the AI tools in use today. A machine with limited memory uses the data at its disposal to learn and forecast the future.
3. MIND THEORY
A theory of mind machine might theoretically recognize, comprehend, and react to human emotions.
4. INTELLIGENT AI
Furthermore, hypothetically, a self-aware machine would be able to reason independently and recognize its own feelings and desires.
AI is categorized in the second category based on intelligence level:
1. Narrow Artificial Intelligence
Present-day AI tools are all artificially narrowly intelligent. They are not capable of independent thought because they are made to carry out specified tasks.
2. GENERAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
At this point, the machine would have human-like thought processes, be able to multitask, and be capable of making its own decisions.
3. SUPERINTELLIGENCE ARTIFICIAL
As of right now, artificial intelligence AI only appears in fiction. The machine would be capable of surpassing human capabilities and would be self-aware at this point.
What are the Principal Applications of AI in Healthcare Right Now?
The healthcare sector uses Limited memory AI in some contexts:
MEDICAL RECORDINGS
The most popular generative and natural language processing tool is ChatGPT. Similar technology-driven chatbots are used to help patients schedule visits, evaluate their symptoms, and receive outpatient monitoring support.
Versions of this kind of AI are also used by providers for clinical documentation. Nuance’s Dragon Ambient Experience is one such. The software captures, transcribes, and enters a thorough clinical report in the electronic health record for each doctor-patient encounter.
“The more time health conscious doctors have to practice medicine, the more technology can handle the administrative work,” states Ken Harper, vice president and general manager of ambient clinical intelligence and healthcare virtual assistants at Nuance. “The cognitive strain and weariness experienced by the clinician are reduced when AI handles a portion of the work.”
According to Harper, patients have better access to care when using this kind of AI. “We’ve observed healthcare institutions utilizing a portion of that time to increase patient traffic.”
IMAGINING
Instead of simply a few experts interpreting a scan, picture ten million radiologists doing so. That’s basically how AI uses medical imaging. Platforms like Nuance’s Precision Imaging Network, for instance, use AI algorithms to interpret images and give radiologists recommendations.
According to Flores, “AI is in almost everything that we’re doing with imaging today,” and it may help prevent diagnostic errors by spotting abnormalities that a human would miss.
The benefit of AI is that it can learn from an enormous volume of data. An artificial intelligence (AI) tool that is well-versed in the various ways a disease can manifest itself in imaging tests can quickly draw conclusions from fresh imaging studies without experiencing the same fatigue that a human would.
Observing the patient
Wearable technology that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to track and analyze data like blood pressure, glucose levels, and sleep patterns has allowed medical doctors to increase remote patient monitoring.
Smart technology is used by virtual nursing platforms, like those provided by Artisight and Caregility, to monitor a huge number of patients. The AI technology can be trained to send automated messages to patients, identify possible issues, and notify on-site care staff.
The vice president of technology and innovation at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in Nebraska, Ryan Cameron, claims that his company is using AI-powered solutions to automate physician decision support. Ensuring critical patients receive the medications they genuinely need is one of our objectives.
According to Cameron, “we have a project focused on real-time monitoring of vital signs” to do this. The AI technology performs intricate calculations, verifies the patient’s data against several sources, and provides clinicians with recommendations for infusion.
AI is not magic, says Dr. Mona Flores. To make sure the solutions genuinely function in the real world, clinical trials and testing are required, just like with everything else.
Dr. Mona Flores, NVIDIA’s Global Head of Medical AI
Investigate
The process of discovering new drugs and developing them for clinical use often takes several years. However, generative AI technologies, like the NVIDIA BioNeMo Service, can expedite this process.
Because of artificial intelligence (AI) and rapid computation, BioNeMo enables “us to quickly generate candidate drugs and test them in a simulation environment,” according to Flores. “We can reduce the cost and shorten the cycle of developing drugs for rare diseases.”
MECHANISMS
Surgeons use robotics powered by AI to perform minimally invasive surgeries. According to Cameron, “We use the da Vinci Surgical System for a high volume of laparoscopic surgeries.”
Perfect stillness is difficult to acquire because of breathing and heart rate. The da Vinci technology ensures that everything is done with extreme precision by absorbing the surgeon’s natural bodily motions.
What AI Knowledge Is Needed in Healthcare?
“AI will redefine our expectations of clinical efficiencies and revolutionize everything, including patient outcomes,” asserts Cameron.
However, he continues, “The major issue with AI is making sure there is a legislative framework and an ethics code particular to the healthcare industry. We must make sure AI is always applied safely and with clinical validation.
Flores also advises exercising prudence. “Artificial intelligence is not magic. To make sure the solutions genuinely function in the real world, clinical trials and testing are required, just like with everything else.
Harper emphasizes that while AI is a very helpful tool, human doctors still make the final medical judgments at this time. Do I personally believe that this technology will advance to the point where it can decide what to do and how to treat patients automatically? I don’t see that, he responds. “However, I do believe AI can assist with everything in between, and there’s a huge opportunity in healthcare.”
