Artificial Intelligence is currently the trending technology buzzword. Various industries are making use of this technology. Almost every newly-launched smartphone now packs at least one feature from the AI category. Industries have been using innumerable applications to increase their productivity and move towards sustainability.
The common people are also the beneficiaries of the same. Most people don’t understand the role of AI when they check weather forecasts or talk with Google Assistant. AI will soon become the driving force of the world in the upcoming decade, if not earlier.
Asking the Potential Questions Regarding AI
This proliferation of AI had generated a serious question from the very beginning, is AI really changing the world in a good way? Common people and experts have concerns about a day when AI-powered robots would take over the world. Of course, we can’t blame them, all thanks to the dystopian science fiction films we’ve seen.
The question gets more power, considering the fact that projects are now blending AI with robotics. It is likely that we would see an android robot that has the ability to think, evolve and learn from experience. In a grand scheme of things, that is what AI is about: we are giving robots/machines an ability to do the thinking, perform a cognitive function and act according to them.
The real question is this: how is human life going to change when Artificial Intelligence gets to the peak? For instance, in the past decade, AI has become the central node of technological development. Even without a label, AI is now powering a number of digital activities, across devices and services. And, to be frank, we have had instances when the power of AI had caused backlashes as well.
Therefore, we cannot simply ignore the question of whether AI is changing the world in a good way.
So, let’s answer that.
Is AI Really Changing the World In a Good Way?
Let’s admit that first. The question seems simple but we cannot have an easy answer. The problem is that AI is practically found in a variety of instances. From your day-to-day smart devices to sensitive healthcare, we can see the applications of AI.
Just like any other technology in the world, we cannot draw a simple line between what is good and bad. For instance, there may be someone who uses AI for predicting the next potential target for a robbery. Similarly, AI has been used by many criminals for data collection and analytics. These instances, however, do not mean that AI is inherently bad. It depends upon who is using it and the purpose and ethics of the particular use-case scenario.
We’ve given some negative examples here to show the ambivalent nature of AI, just like any other tech we are using today. The last time we checked, experts and cynics had the same doubts about smartphones also. Anyway, now, let’s focus on the positive sides of AI.
Comparing the Good and Bad
We wanted to cover one point that most people miss when it comes to judging a particular technology, a technology that can revamp the whole scene. People tend to take the negative examples for granted, leaving behind the pile of positive ones to rot. If you ask us, we’d say that the same has happened in the case of AI as well. In the past decades, we’ve seen a number of industries that bloomed due to the sheer use of AI and its applications. Still, cynics consider the one and only example of the AI robot who wants to destroy humans.
That is the same area where a different approach should be taken. We have to judge AI, or any other technology for that matter on the basis of how it changes the world for human beings. If we stick onto the opposite method, we’d have to say that stone and knife are the worst inventions humans have made in the whole timeline. Let’s not be that cynical, but rather take a look at some areas that changed drastically using the power of Artificial Intelligence.
Do you know the best one among these? Healthcare.
Healthcare and Artificial Intelligence
The Healthcare Industry has been one of the early adopters of various technological advancements for the past decades. In fact, a number of technologies were first developed for making diagnostics easier for doctors as it comes to the treatment area. Looking back, it can be seen that the industry had the same approach in the case of AI as well.
Not only was the healthcare industry an early adopter of Artificial Intelligence, but it also demanded the tech to bring newer things to the scene. Integration of data analytics and decision-making boosters were just a few of the elements that would not have entered the scene if it was not for the healthcare industry. And, the result was extremely satisfying too.
Even before common users started benefitting through Google Assistant, healthcare industry was benefitting from the AI. Even now, AI technologies used in the healthcare industry is ages ahead of what we have in the smartphones, wearable tech or smart devices at home. And, the healthcare industry also showcases how useful AI can be.
That’s right: Healthcare Industry shows numerous examples on how AI is changing the world in a good way.
This is not a hypothetical statement based on some random sources. Instead, we’ve found a few instances in the healthcare industry that could prove the significant impacts of the AI growth, healthcare is one of the largest and most rapidly growing segments of AI. Now that you have got the basic things covered, shall we go and check out how AI is really transforming the healthcare industry in a rather drastic manner.
How Is Artificial Intelligence Transforming the Healthcare Industry?
As it happens, the answer to this question is extremely broad. We’ve broken it down to a few pieces so that you understand the practical benefits (and the practical future) of a world that has AI inside.
Let’s start with something that you use almost every day.
- Smart Health Devices
There was a time when you had to visit a hospital to know your blood pressure, sugar levels or any other health condition. Now, a number of smart health devices can be bought from the general store. We are not just talking about smart fitness bands here. For instance, can we talk about a typical blood pressure measurement device you can find today?
They have become so compact and easy to use that you will be notified if your blood pressure is at dangerous levels. Similarly, there is a huge number of smart health devices that you can purchase today. Yet another example would be of the legendary Apple Watch itself. This wearable device now has a powerful technology to identify atrial fibrillation, which is causing a huge number of deaths in the United States, every year.
It should also be noted that AI is helping users keep everything under control. There are apps and services in the market that would recommend the best workouts for you. The whole point here is that you are getting a lot of benefits from AI-powered smart devices. Another example would be of devices like Amazon Alexa which are some of the popular digital assistants.
Through a partnership with several companies, these digital assistants can become medical assistants as well. For instance, a firm named Merck had partnered with Amazon so that Amazon Alexa can be optimized to assist people who are suffering from diabetes. Similarly, the smart devices out there at home can help users maintain their lives on the right path.
We would also have to talk about normal smartwatches that gamify the whole exercise process. You get an incredible motivation to keep your body fit, through timely notifications and other methods. All the while, all these devices would be tracking information and storing it right away. And, this information can then be used for early detection of many human issues.
- Accurate & Early Detection
One of the problems with the traditional way of medical detection is called human errors. See, humans are not perfect when it comes to calculation, and accuracy is something that varies from person to person. That, however, does not happen when AI is being used. It’s for the same reason that AI is now helping professionals in early detection of diseases.
Several institutions and research centers are working on AI so that it can predict a number of diseases at an early stage. Let’s take the case of cancer, for instance. It’s one of the diseases that can be survived if detected early. This is where Artificial Intelligence comes in. When provided with accurate information from the right sources, a properly designed AI algorithm can help the doctors predict the chances of diseases like cancer.
The AI system can make the prediction even before the obvious signs are detected. As we said earlier, an AI keeps learning from experiences. That is, once the system has been exposed to a number of cases, some of who have cancer and some of who have not, the system itself would figure out the sense to distinguish both and make the right prediction.
It’s not the case of cancer alone. There are some other diseases that benefit from early detection. We can take the case of cardiovascular health, for instance. By analyzing the sensor data and other sources, the AI-powered algorithms can now predict a potential disease in no time. It’s not that AI can cure things well, but early detection means higher chances of getting something cured.
As mentioned earlier, 99% accuracy is something that AI and Technology can offer you today. By shifting to a scientifically proven analysis system, the healthcare system is getting rid of the bad chances a lot.
- Better Diagnosis
We just saw how Artificial Intelligence can help in many areas. These include the process of keeping people healthy, tracking necessary data and predicting diseases at an incredibly early stage. Of course, the medical professional cannot act just based on the prediction. Thankfully, Artificial Intelligence can help in the sector of Diagnosis as well. And, it does the job pretty well.
Getting the right medical information on time is one of the important things when it comes to diagnosis. In light of the fact that we don’t have a centralized system, several tech giants are developing something big. For instance, IBM has something called Watson, which is great when it comes to storing medical information which can be easily accessed.
On the other hand, Google is working on the DeepMind Health sector. This would offer a platform for the physician community across the world to share and access valuable information. Google is going yet another step further by creating a neural network that would revolutionize the way how diagnostics is done. It must also be noted that thousands of startups are working with the same objective.
Another startup that deserves a mention here is Cloud DX. This startup has been designing an AI that would be capable of distinguishing people who have tuberculosis based on the patterns of a cough. In order to do this, the AI was subjected to a huge number of coughs, including some of the fake ones. When in the fullest form, the AI would be the best way to early-predict tuberculosis and offer better care for the patient.
The best part about a tool like Cloud DX is that they can be quite multipurpose-oriented. Even in this case, the AI would be able to tell apart pneumonia, bronchitis and upper respiratory infection. It may make use of the samples from the patient in the future, but in the fullest form, all it requires is the recording of a cough. This may sound like science fiction, but it’s going to happen in a year or so.
- Enhancing Treatment
Artificial Intelligence does not hesitate to get into the treatment area, either. Just so you know, the medical industry has been using a number of devices in the past, including some robots. Experts believe that would become a catalyst for the diagnosis and treatment process. In the past year, we saw the rise of some revolutionary devices.
For instance, Stethee is an FDA-approved device that would help doctors have a better understanding of the heartbeat data. This works great when compared to the century-old stethoscope, which hasn’t received a lot of updates in the time-period. In the case of both understanding the situation and acting upon it, the data from such sources would be very beneficial.
Similarly, a number of apps and services are catering to the patient as well. For instance, there are apps that would remind users to take pills at the right time. You can sync these apps with various data sources in a way that you miss nothing in the long run. Despite the simple overview, these apps can change how a person gets treated.
- Bridging the Gap
Artificial Intelligence, when combined with the brand-new communication tech, re-envisages the role of the physician. Provided the scope of automation and extensive management in diagnosis and treatment, space-based, AI can bridge the gaps. A physical would not have to visit a rural area in order to provide advice and other instructions. Let’s take the best possible scenario here.
Efforts are underway to offer internet connectivity to almost every part of the globe in the coming decades. You should note that some populated areas don’t have access to physicians. Considering this, the use of digital devices opens up a new way. That is, using smart devices for analytics and measuring, systems can collect medical data and relay it to the physician. Using the help of aforesaid AI techniques, the physician can offer a comprehensive solution to the issue. As you can see, the Artificial Intelligence Revolution does not remove the doctor from the equation. Instead, it draws an extra layer that can be so expansive to cover the gap between the end-patient and the physician.
- To Sum Up
Although it sounds like overkill, automation too can play an important role here. Even some experts have said that AI can automate surgical jobs by the middle of the century, meaning that the technology would become so accurate and reliable. This, again, bridges the physical gap, since a patient can avail the best level of treatment without the physical presence of the doctor.
As you can see, this is an abstract thought mostly. Nevertheless, when AI development is full, you can actually prefer a trained and automated robot to a qualified person, who is still prone to mistakes.
Apparently, these are some of the major ways in which AI is transforming the medical industry and the whole system of treatment. Most of these are still to be popular in the under-developed countries but should see the saturation point in sometime this century.
The Word on Automation and Job Take-Over
Robots invading the space and the loss of jobs is one of the commonest nightmares people share when they talk about AI. Of course, it cannot be denied that AI will have impacts on the way most of the jobs are aligned. At least in the medical industry, however, a complete replacement won’t be possible at least right now.
As you can see, all the abovementioned technologies work as an extension. The physicians or the support staff are still on the equation and we cannot remove them, at least for the coming decades. On the other hand, the staff and the doctors should be competent enough to understand the changing world. The adoption of various AI tech would ensure accurate and effective results in the long run too.
There is no doubt that AI is becoming more intelligent than human beings when it comes to diagnostics as well as calculations. It’s also true that some of the basic jobs would be at stake. This would only happen upon the full implementation of AI in the medical sector. That having said, it would also create some jobs, where supervision will become the core objective as well.
So, Is Artificial Intelligence Changing the World?
Yes, definitely. If the above-mentioned examples don’t justify the claim, nothing else will.
No doubt that some extra change is underway and the same technology may be used for evil purposes in the long run. It is also a fact that technical errors in the AI algorithm would have serious repercussions on the patient as well.
These factors, however, don’t mean that people should be hesitant towards Artificial Intelligence. In fact, at least when the healthcare industry is concerned, AI is going to be the biggest revolution in centuries. As you have seen above, overall accuracy, reliability, and authenticity of the medical industry would increase through AI and its applications.
Thanks to complementary communication developments, users will be able to enjoy high-quality medical services without worrying about physical constraints. Also, the increasing popularity of smart health devices like Fitbit and Apple Watch is also good. It means that the upcoming generation would have a rather streamlined set of health-based data to base the references on. This will surely revolutionize how healthcare services can change.
Artificial Intelligence, like every other invention, is still in its youth. Like in 2016 Microsoft released an AI chatbot “Tay” onto Twitter which was programmed to learn human behavior by interacting with the Twitter users. But after a few hours, it was shut down because its tweets had become a flow of antisemitic messages. This means whatever the AI becomes is actually based on what we human beings feed it. To put it in context, we can use the technologies we’ve listed above for both the positive and negative aspect of common health.
Despite the negative side, a well-designed set of instructions will help control AI. It will complement the progress we want to achieve. We are eager to know what is your opinion about the use of Artificial Intelligence in the medical and general scenario. Do leave us a comment.
from Health Care Technology – ReferralMD http://bit.ly/2TjjBM1
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