The Ace of Spades Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 The robot doctor will see you now June 27, 2011 Some doctors are known for their less-than-superb bedside manners. In their defence, they’re only human. But it’s possible the human element will play less of a role in the future as machines take more responsibility for diagnosing diseases, assigning treatments and ensuring hospitals run smoothly and efficiently. Don’t expect computers to replace doctors. But as advancements in artificial intelligence continue to unfold, a growing number of computer experts, health professionals and businesses believe machines will have an increasingly important role to play. While that could result in more accurate diagnoses, fewer mistakes and cost savings, experts also warn that relying too heavily on machines could backfire. For instance, computers with inaccurate or incomplete information could give the wrong diagnosis, putting lives at risk. Computer scientists who study artificial intelligence (AI) are developing machines that can provide answers to questions, identify key patterns in data and predict trends – to make machines that have human-like intelligence and abilities but can also operate more quickly and more efficiently, making fewer mistakes. Medicine and health have emerged as areas that can benefit greatly. AI applications rely heavily on sifting through large amounts of data to identify patterns or come up with answers, which can make a difference in health care. One important possibility is improved medical diagnoses. AI systems that are programmed to understand known diseases, symptoms and risk factors could quickly and easily make a diagnosis that a doctor could then verify in a physical exam. This means a patient could get access to vital medical treatments more quickly, which could be critical in certain situations. It could also save time and money. “If you had somebody who had a really rare disease, then that might not be the first thing that the physician would think about,” said Cory Butz, a computer science professor at the University of Regina, who spoke about AI recently at the University of Cambridge. “But the ... machine could go through all the possibilities and raise the issue, [saying] ‘perhaps the person has this illness,’ much quicker than the human would think about it.” The use of AI could also negate any bias that could affect a doctor's decisions. For instance, research has suggested some doctors have a bias against smokers, which could affect how that patient is diagnosed and treated. The Mayo Clinic recently conducted an experiment to see whether AI systems could truly assist physicians. Researchers used “teachable software” that mimics the human brain to help diagnose potentially fatal cardiac infections in the hope of eliminating the need for an invasive exam. The researchers introduced the system to countless real-world scenarios to help it evaluate symptoms correctly. After examining data from nearly 200 patients, the software correctly diagnosed the infection in nearly all cases. The study was based on clinical data from previous patients, but if the software was introduced to hospitals, it could help patients and result in major savings. Similar systems could also help reduce medical errors, improve the accuracy of medical tests and help hospitals reduce inefficiencies. Although it’s clear many bugs need to be worked out before AI applications play a major role in day-to-day medical decisions, many are optimistic about future possibilities. Recently, the famous IBM computer Watson appeared at a conference of health and computer science experts in Toronto. The computer was made famous earlier this year when it beat human contestants on the game show Jeopardy! But company officials believe the computer’s future lies in making medical diagnoses. Earlier this year, it announced a partnership with Massachusetts-based Nuance Communications Inc., a speech and imaging solutions firm, in a bid to get a product on the market. But Prof. Butz also warned that any AI-based health care applications would need strict limits. Although machines are highly efficient, they are only as good as the information that has been programmed into them. For instance, the names of diseases could be fed into the machine incorrectly, or the system might not have the functionality to compare a person’s symptoms against their risk factors for disease. “I don’t think that you would ever have a robot doctor or a robot physician,” Prof. Butz said. “If you make a mistake diagnosing a patient, there could be drastic and even fatal consequences to that. The software system will always simply be aiding a human expert.” http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/the-robot-doctor-will-see-you-now/article2074992/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeking1 Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 I read this a month ago and couldn't help but laugh a little. Its a little unsettling that people seem to want robot doctors, but hey, thats the insanity of humans for you. I'm glad that the article actually points out the shortcomings of a robot doctor too. There is some really good literature on AI out there that basically explains why machines which completely replace complex human roles like doctors is pretty unlikely. What I am more interested in is the replacement of other jobs, like pharmacists, bankers and economists, with robots and programs. Hell, academic economists at MIT are already trying to vastly improve calculation of the inflation index on a daily basis with the Billion Prices Project. Any people extremely worried about doctors being replaced by robots? Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minion Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 This reminds of the Simpson's episode where Homer starts curing back pain through garbage bin (in this case robot doctor) and the chiropractors visit Homer to fix the problem Pretty sure this will probably happen in this case too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubcMDhopeful Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 I can never see the doctor being replaced. Mayby in the future the role of a doc would be minimized perhaps just double checking on the robot.Also some specialties can be replaced like pathology. What I do not understand is why all this talk about replacing doctors, like previosly pointed out I see so many other jobs that can easily be replaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerena Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 I'm not worried of the prospect of AI replacing physicians. Not exactly sure how I should word this, but when volunteering and working at clinics, there are times when I have seen patients attempting to use the medical system to their advantage in an unhealthy manner. For example, to feed a pain killer or Ritalin addiction. Now, if the patient is good at telling the computer what it wants to hear, the signs will all point to a potentially dangerous diagnosis. Even if not for an addiction, but for other acute illnesses I see lots of potential problems. I believe it will be much easier to misdiagnose without the patient-physician interaction. Though, I do feel that AI can be a great aid for physicians and would like to see it incorporated into clinical practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumanmacbook Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 Don't worry, I'm human enough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerena Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 Don't worry, I'm human enough Was srsly surprised you werent the first member to comment. Mac, are you lagging on me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mourning Cloak Posted August 5, 2011 Report Share Posted August 5, 2011 Also some specialties can be replaced like pathology. That'll be the second-last specialty to be replaced (after all forms of invasive surgery). A list of symptoms, elicited from the patient using user-friendly questions, is a lot easier for a computer to process than an image. Images are incredibly hard to recognize - it look the Watson dudes forever to get their computer to recognize handwritten letters. All you have to do is watch a technologist go through and correct all of CellaVision's mistakes. Computers can't yet handle the most basic of pathology tasks (a WBC diff) that you can reliably teach an attentive 10 year old. It's far more likely that they will be able to perfect "self-serve" algorithms based on patient self-report with subsequent testing menus generated and referral on to the appropriate specialist (based on testing results) than they will ever be able to teach a computer to "see". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnb88 Posted August 5, 2011 Report Share Posted August 5, 2011 What about EMHs? Or tricorders (sp)? Or has Star Trek been lying to me about future technologies all these years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubcMDhopeful Posted August 5, 2011 Report Share Posted August 5, 2011 That'll be the second-last specialty to be replaced (after all forms of invasive surgery). A list of symptoms, elicited from the patient using user-friendly questions, is a lot easier for a computer to process than an image. Images are incredibly hard to recognize - it look the Watson dudes forever to get their computer to recognize handwritten letters. All you have to do is watch a technologist go through and correct all of CellaVision's mistakes. Computers can't yet handle the most basic of pathology tasks (a WBC diff) that you can reliably teach an attentive 10 year old. It's far more likely that they will be able to perfect "self-serve" algorithms based on patient self-report with subsequent testing menus generated and referral on to the appropriate specialist (based on testing results) than they will ever be able to teach a computer to "see". After reading this I will take my statement back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mourning Cloak Posted August 5, 2011 Report Share Posted August 5, 2011 What about EMHs? Or tricorders (sp)? Or has Star Trek been lying to me about future technologies all these years? I want a holodeck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumanmacbook Posted August 5, 2011 Report Share Posted August 5, 2011 Was srsly surprised you werent the first member to comment.Mac, are you lagging on me? I think I am...need to refresh my harddisk...too much data in there ATM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mithril Posted August 5, 2011 Report Share Posted August 5, 2011 I think I am...need to refresh my harddisk...too much data in there ATMToo much info, man. I never tell girls when I refresh my harddisk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumanmacbook Posted August 5, 2011 Report Share Posted August 5, 2011 Too much info, man. I never tell girls when I refresh my harddisk. Hard-disk = my Central Nervous System. I think the proper analogy for the above is "recalibrating your joystick." Only PCs use that analogy b/c they can't think like a Mac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ace of Spades Posted August 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2011 What I am more interested in is the replacement of other jobs, like pharmacists, bankers and economists, with robots and programs. Bankers -> ATMs OH GOD IT'S HAPPENING ALREADY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumanmacbook Posted August 5, 2011 Report Share Posted August 5, 2011 Bankers -> ATMs OH GOD IT'S HAPPENING ALREADY Eventually....humanity will bow before us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnb88 Posted August 5, 2011 Report Share Posted August 5, 2011 Eventually....humanity will bow before us. Not if Will Smith has anything to do with it...... And if he can't protect us, we'll have to protect Sarah/John Connor.... And if that fails we might need to find Earth 2.0.... Movies (and TV) have taught us everything we need to know to prevent a robotic hostile takeover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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