Using Machines to Complement Humans
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The concept that two polar opposite forces can be complementary is one that has withstood the test of time. Yin and yang have symbolized man and woman, light and dark, hot and cold. But what about human and machine? The idea that automation and artificial intelligence will take over the world and lead us into an apocalypse is a popular one. However, when looking at AI, we must do so with our hearts and minds. Instead of embracing the “Terminator” view of AI, let’s see how machines can complement humans. This is especially useful in the healthcare sector, where humans’ empathetic abilities and machines’ rapid processing skills can work together to help our society in the most efficient way possible.
AI’s biggest benefit is its usage in fields where mass amounts of data need to be stored, processed, and analyzed. Clinical health data is converted to Electronic Medical Record (EMR) by natural language processing AI machines. This is the first main application of AI in healthcare. The second application is analyzing these EMRs to predict disease outcomes, calculate probabilities, or group traits together. Machine Learning (ML) techniques read the converted structured text and analyze it based on the needs of the specific hospital or facility. AI is currently being used to read cardiac MRI scans and diagnose heart disease or areas of concern in the images. In terms of ML, basic factors about patients such as age, weight, height, gender, etc are inputs to a program that interprets this data and predicts probabilities for different diseases in that person.
So, where do humans come in? Doctors and other health professionals play a pivotal role in inputting data into machines and having oversight over the analysis. Supervised learning is the biggest sector of AI in healthcare; medical professionals still need to interpret the machine’s predictions, examine the best way forward for the patient, prescribe medications, and form bonds with their patients. According to a 2018 MIT study, “AI can’t replace a doctor’s gut instincts”. Patients feel a certain safety when consulting a doctor whom they trust and can connect to.
When examining the impacts of AI in healthcare and forecasting its implications, we have to remember that machines should complement us, not compete with us. Technological innovations will continue to grow rapidly in the coming years, and we have to find a way to deal with it. Exploring ways to improve efficiency is the best way forward. Let’s allow artificial intelligence to be the yin to our yang.
