How AI Is Revolutionizing Medicine: The Benefits and Limitations

Artificial intelligence has appeared in marketing, smart assistants, investing and travel booking. Amazingly, it can also support medical professionals and save lives. Here are some interesting examples of AI in medicine.

1. Diagnosing Patients

Doctors can use AI to analyze a patient’s symptoms and medical history to make a diagnosis. For example, a 2020 study showed AI can be used to detect skin cancer with high accuracy.

Some organizations also use AI to develop new treatments for a variety of conditions. For instance, a team of researchers at Stanford University is using AI to find new drugs for treating cancer.

AI can also be applied to:

• Cardiology
• Pulmonary medicine
• Endocrinology
• Neurology
• Gastroenterology

2. Improving Communication Between Patients and Doctors

AI can help improve communication by providing a more efficient way for patients to share their health information with their doctor.

For example, a company called Babylon Health offers a chatbot that allows patients to ask medical questions and receive answers from a doctor.

Babylon’s chatbot is powered by AI and can understand natural language. This makes it easy for patients to use and increases the likelihood of getting the information they need.

3. Drug Discovery and Development

AI can identify new drugs and develop more effective treatments. For example, a company called Recursion Pharmaceuticals uses AI to develop new drugs for a variety of conditions.

Recursion’s AI platform can analyze large amounts of data to identify patterns that could lead to the development of new treatments.

4. Remote Patient Treatment

AI can also provide treatment to patients who are unable or unwilling to travel to a doctor’s office. For example, a company called Teladoc offers a service that allows patients to consult with a doctor via video chat.

Teladoc’s AI-powered service can address a variety of conditions. This makes it convenient for patients and helps to reduce wait times.

5. Transcribing Medical Documents

AI can  transcribe medical documents, such as a doctor’s notes, into a more readable format. This can save a lot of time for medical professionals, who would otherwise have to transcribe documents themselves.

For example, a company called M*Modal offers a transcription service that uses AI to transcribe medical documents.

M*Modal’s service is accurate and efficient, and it can be used for a variety of different document types.

Examples of Medical AI Technology

There are a number of different AI-based technologies being developed for use in the medical field. Here are a few examples:

• Kardia: Kardia is a mobile app that uses AI to help users monitor their heart health. The app can detect a user’s heart rate and rhythm, and it can also provide a warning if there is a potential problem.
• Embrace Wearable: Embrace is a wearable device that uses AI to monitor a user’s sleep and activity levels. The device can also provide a warning if a user is at risk for a seizure. It is especially helpful for people with Epilepsy.

What Are the Limitations of AI in Medicine?

While AI brings many benefits to the medical field, there are also some limitations that need to be considered. These include:

• Biased AI Models: AI models can be biased if they are not trained on a diverse set of data.
• Data Preprocessing: AI models require a lot of data to be effective. This can be a challenge for medical data, which is often fragmented.
• Complexity: AI models can be complex and challenging to understand.
• Fragmented Data: Medical data is often fragmented, making it difficult to use AI effectively.

AI Is Paving a Path in the Medical Field

AI has the potential to revolutionize medicine by providing more accurate diagnoses, more effective treatments and improved communication between patients and doctors.

However, there are also some limitations that need to be considered when using AI in the medical field. These include biases in AI models, complexity and fragmentation of data. Despite these limitations, AI is paving a path in the medical field and can provide a number of benefits to both patients and doctors.