Artificial intelligence has already been beneficial in many areas of human activity, facilitating and accelerating a number of processes. Now it seems that there are new tasks in the field of medicine that AI could take on soon, such as predicting harmful diseases and saving the lives of many people.
Previous successes of AI
AI has been on the rise for many years and has already achieved success in all industries and branches. The history of AI begins in 1936 when Alan Turing developed the Turing machine which is capable of decomposing cognitive processes into several parts and recreating them. By 1972, AI was already being used in medicine with the expert system developed under the name MYCIN to treat diseases.
Expert systems are computer programs that combine the knowledge of a particular field through formulas, rules and a knowledge base. In medicine, they are used to assist in diagnosis and therapy.
AI will now continue this path. But it has also been integrated into other fields for many years, such as chatbots, production machines and gaming. In 1997, a computer even won the chess championship. That year, it proved that machines can actually outperform humans. People who like to play in online casinos also often compete against the machine, for instance as an opponent in blackjack, roulette or poker.
Early detection of diseases through AI
In order to treat a disease and save lives, one factor is essential: the time of its detection. Most diseases can be treated well at an early stage. However, since patients often hardly experience any symptoms in earlier stages or do not notice them, in many cases the diagnosis is unfortunately made too late and doctors can no longer help.
AI is expected to help with this major problem in the future. Several studies show that AI can assist in the early detection of pancreatic cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and heart attacks in future times.
Detecting heart attacks
In the field of cardiology, the use of artificial intelligence could bring decisive advantages. For example, a study of the Johns Hopkins University shows how special algorithms can determine the likelihood and timing of a potential heart attack based on MRI images of the heart.
Data from the affected individuals that the algorithms evaluate – for example age, weight and medication – can make the predictions much more accurate than those made by doctors. By calculating risk with the help of AI, doctors could make better and more effective decisions for people with heart diseases in future times.
More time for curing pancreatic cancer
AI could also predict the risk of fatal cancer. For example, researchers from Harvard University and the University of Copenhagen reported this idea at the annual meeting of the American Society for Cancer Research. They started programming AI to detect an individual’s risk for pancreatic cancer. This type of cancer is particularly problematic because symptoms usually don’t appear until it’s too late for surgery.
Out of 10,000 people who receive this diagnosis, 9,000 cannot be cured anymore. Accordingly, accurate risk calculation and timely diagnosis are important to save many lives. Whether AI can help with other types of cancer as well remains to be seen. On our website worthview.com you will find information and tips for dealing with other cancers.
Predicting Alzheimer’s
The Japanese company Fujifilm is collaborating with medical research institutions to determine the potential uses of AI in Alzheimer’s research. The focus of the research is the extent to which mild cognitive impairment could develop into Alzheimer’s within a two-year period. Before AI is used in everyday medical practice for diagnoses and risk assessments, a number of trials by sufferers and researchers has yet to be evaluated.
However, researchers already agree that the potential of artificial intelligence is enormous and that it could play an important role in clinical decision-making in the future. Thus, AI could save thousands of lives a year in many areas of medicine and relieve doctors of some of their work. However, AI is not the only idea that scientists have when dealing with Alzheimer. You can read more on other approaches on bbc.com.
Hi there! I’m Sethu, your go-to guy for all things tech, travel, internet, movies, and business tips. I love sharing insights and stories that make life more interesting. Let’s explore the world together, one article at a time!
