Artificial Intelligence in Medicine: A Double-Edged Sword
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize the field of medicine by enhancing diagnostic accuracy, improving treatment outcomes, and streamlining administrative tasks. However, like any technology, it also comes with its own set of pros and cons. Here are some of the pros and cons of artificial intelligence in the context of the practice of medicine:
Pros:
Enhanced diagnostic accuracy: AI algorithms can potentially analyze vast amounts of patient data and medical literature in seconds to assist in diagnosis and treatment by identifying patterns and correlations that may not be easily detectable by human intelligence alone, leading to conceivably a more accurate and timely diagnosis.
Improved treatment outcomes: AI can help personalize treatment plans by considering individual patient characteristics, such as genetic data and relevant medical history. This can lead to more effective and targeted therapies, potentially improving patient outcomes. In addition AI can recognize other treatment options available for a more holistic approach of any treatment plans including alternative therapies that may be available.
Efficiency and cost-effectiveness: AI can automate repetitive tasks, such as data entry, administrative duties, and image analysis, allowing healthcare professionals to focus more on patient care. This can save time, reduce errors, and lower healthcare costs.
Medical research and drug discovery: AI can analyze large datasets and accelerate the process of medical research and drug discovery. It can identify new drug targets, predict drug responses, and aid in the development of novel treatments. A good example of such a system is the cytoSolve technology developed by Dr Shiva Ayyadurai of MIT. There has been a particular use of AI in diverse sectors of the pharmaceutical industry, including drug discovery and development, drug repurposing, improving pharmaceutical productivity and in clinical trials.
Telemedicine and remote monitoring: AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can provide basic medical advice, answer patient questions, and monitor patients remotely. This enables greater access to healthcare services, especially in underserved areas.
Cons:
Limited human interaction: The foremost drawback of AI systems includes the lack of the human touch and empathy that is essential in patient-doctor relationships and healing. It could potentially kill the art of medicine that is so crucial to any diagnosis and treatment. As it is, overuse of technology has to some extent killed that art today. In addition, some patients may prefer interacting with human healthcare providers rather than AI-powered tools.
Data privacy and security: Another complication is that the use of AI involves the collection and analysis of large amounts of patient data. Ensuring the privacy and security of this data is crucial to maintain patient trust and comply with regulations including any HIPAA violations.
Reliability and accuracy concerns: AI systems are only as good as the data they are trained on or fed and needs constant update especially since science is changing rapidly by the second. Also it may include data that has not been proven or tested. If the training data is biased or incomplete, it can lead to inaccurate or biased outcomes. Additionally, AI algorithms may not always provide explanations for their decisions, making it difficult to understand the basis for their recommendations.
Legal and ethical challenges: The deployment of AI in medicine raises various legal and ethical questions. For example, determining liability in cases where AI systems make incorrect diagnoses or treatment recommendations can be challenging. There is also a need to address issues related to transparency, accountability, and fairness in AI algorithms.
Workforce displacement: The automation of certain tasks by AI may lead to concerns about job displacement for healthcare professionals who previously performed those tasks. Just like nowadays, physicians have increasingly been replaced by less trained physician extenders in many disciplines of medicine, the million dollar question is will there come a day when human physicians are replaced by AI ? It is therefore important to find a balance between AI and human expertise to ensure optimal patient care. Given that healthcare in most developed countries is dictated by costs, insurers may require a robot programmed to make decisions with algorithms that would vomit out cheaper “cost saving” ways of patient care and not necessarily “cost effective” methods and then these recommendations become the gold standard. It may also be used to sensor science that actually saves lives or can be used to promote self destruction or population control.
Overall, artificial intelligence holds great promise in the field of medicine, when used judiciously where one has the ability to disagree and if strictly regulated, but it is important to address the challenges and concerns associated with its implementation to ensure responsible and beneficial use of this technology called AI.
Moreover any intelligence that is called “ARTIFICIAL” to begin with has the risk of taking over “REAL” human intelligence that created it to begin with. No wonder warning signs of this are all over and would be hugely concerning for those who understand the real dangers of anything that is artificial.🤣
Rakesh Mittal, MD, PhD
President,
HCA FL Northside Hospital Medstaff
