Whether it is used to write an e-mail, navigate a route, or recognize a human face, Artificial Intelligence is an unavoidable presence in our world today. But what exactly is it? Artificial Intelligence is a network of data that is used through algorithms to imitate human thought and decision making. Within the span of just a few years, AI has changed from a futuristic idea to a tool present in everyone’s life. Though it lacks emotion, and flaws are often present, it plays a key role in communication and problem solving.
The release of ChatGPT only two years ago made artificial intelligence a tool that is utilized frequently in people’s day to day routines. In many cases, this is visible, with the recent introductions of chatbots on computer browsers or social media. Many people focus on these uses of artificial intelligence everyday tasks, overlooking the ways it alters society on a larger scale. AI is used in many more areas than one may expect, and has become especially relevant behind the scenes in many areas, such as healthcare, even prior to the introduction of ChatGPT. With the widespread use of AI, society has begun to question and even criticize the large role it plays in the present and future. As AI has continued to advance, concern has grown regarding what jobs computers will take over and whether they will ever be able to replace the human mind. Despite its overwhelming presence, the average person often overlooks the benefits of the use of AI in any field, the healthcare industry included. The field of healthcare is extremely vast and complex, filled with issues far too complicated and time consuming for healthcare professionals to attend to.
The use of AI in healthcare began much earlier than one would think, originating in the 1950s, but it has recently become extremely visible with the widespread use of Artificial Intelligence. It has made healthcare more accurate, efficient, and even more affordable. Today, AI is used to detect and treat diseases, spot irregularities in medical images, assist with surgery, and develop new medicines. Algorithms are able to analyze patterns and draw medical conclusions in the fraction of the time a human would be able to. The uses of these algorithms vary from detecting diseases based on either symptoms, or an x-ray image. They additionally predict the future health effects of patient illnesses and disorders. Chatbots that analyze patient symptoms, provide advice for adjusting their lifestyles while dealing with medical conditions, and schedule appointments will also significantly reduce the risk of disease transmission in doctor’s offices and hospitals, so that risky interactions between patients and doctors will no longer be as necessary.
As the use of artificial intelligence has continued to increase, so has society’s dependence on it. This especially applies to the field of healthcare, as it has become increasingly necessary in this day and age with the increasingly high demands for analysis of X-rays such as PET, C-T, and MRI scans. The National Library of Medicine reports that they must analyze an image every couple of seconds in order to maintain pace with today’s current demands. These standards are undeniably impossible for anyone to keep up with, let alone in a situation where it is completely necessary that these observations are accurate. In high demand fields where radiologists have limited time to identify imperfections, errors are bound to occur. This is where AI comes into play. Its use not only reduces the workload of doctors, but also significantly decreases the probability of human error. Due to this, medical images get processed quicker than ever, and these doctors are able to devote their time to areas where human thought is crucial, resulting in earlier diagnosis of diseases and disorders in patients and allowing them to be treated earlier than they would normally be.
Perhaps one of the most notable ways the use of AI could impact the healthcare industry is in surgical procedures. Since the human body is extremely complex, surgery is arguably one of the most difficult areas in the healthcare industry, requiring years of medical training and extreme precision, as the seemingly smallest error could lead to potential long-term health complications or even death. Though artificial intelligence is far from perfect, it does not make many of the same errors as human doctors. Robot-assisted surgery would occur under a much more controlled environment and minimize the risk of small errors that can be detrimental to the patient, leading to less severe injuries and deaths in hospitals.
It is important to note that there are many areas in which AI fails to match the work of doctors, nurses, and other individuals in the healthcare industry. The downsides of artificial intelligence in the medical industry cannot be ignored. Although the algorithms in AI are far more advanced in terms of problem solving, completing many tasks in the fraction of a time that it would take a human to, what it lacks is human emotion and empathy, as it is unable to think the way a human can, and it fails in some areas. AI uses data and algorithms to make decisions, which can in some cases, be inaccurate. In a recent study, the National Library of Medicine reported that AI algorithms had a 85.7% accuracy rate when testing patients.
Since the medical industry is so large-scale, the use of AI will continue to progressively increase in the hospital setting and replace the work of humans. However, there are many areas where it can never be fully replaced. Human interaction is essential for everyone, especially hospitalized patients. Isolation and loneliness are extremely present in hospital settings and detrimental to both the mental and physical health of a patient, as many patients are isolated for parts of the day, and spend less time with friends and family. This makes the interactions between patients and doctors even more necessary. Although chatbots are able to answer patients’ questions, since they lack the compassion and empathy of humans, the work of doctors and nurses is vital in this area. Loneliness is detrimental to everyone — especially hospital patients — and interactions with other humans is necessary to reduce health risks and complications associated with isolation such as heart disease, anxiety, and depression. The National Library of Medicine, for example, reported that having social interactions reduced mortality rates from cardiovascular diseases by 50%.
Patient privacy is an additional concern that arises with the use of AI in medicine. When an individual’s medical data is gathered, it is permanently stored in the computer system, usually for the improvement of its functionality. Although this information is legally supposed to be kept confidential, this unfortunately does not always happen, as there is always a risk of data being hacked, or patient information being sold for advertising purposes, especially in AI bots that are not well protected enough. With this in mind, the work of doctors and nurses will always be necessary in the healthcare industry, regardless of future advancements in AI technology.
Despite these drawbacks that may arise, the use artificial intelligence in a medical setting will save an innumerable amount of lives, improve the efficiency of healthcare, and allow doctors to refocus their work to areas where human interaction is crucial, as opposed to tedious and time consuming tasks that can be replaced by new technology. While there is still much uncertainty, the impact of AI on healthcare both today and in the future are impossible to ignore.
The field of healthcare is extremely vast and complex, filled with issues far too complicated and time consuming for healthcare professionals to attend to.