A few years ago, I went temporarily blind after undergoing surgery for Keratoconus, a rare ocular disease that causes deformation of the cornea. Navigating around my house in the dark was difficult, but I ended up finding my own light through an unexpected pair of helpers: Siri and Alexa.
Using their voices as guides, I was able to navigate through my house, avoid sharply stubbed toes along the way, listen to audiobooks, and stay connected with my social network.
Every day, we’re flooded with more horror stories about the dangers of Artificial Intelligence (AI) – if the doomsayers are to be believed, large language models will be imminently responsible for robbing us of our livelihoods and replacing us in nearly every facet of society. Yet while AI-driven automation is and will continue to radically transform our lives, this fatalist narrative overlooks the plethora of incredible things AI can do to improve our quality of life, especially in regard to healthcare.
AI voice assistants and language models aren’t just useful for googling random trivia questions. They’re becoming increasingly essential tools in diagnosis, treatment, post-op procedures, and medical administration.
For instance, radiologists use Federated Learning, a machine learning approach that trains models across multiple decentralized devices or servers storing local data samples, to share medical imaging data without compromising patient privacy. In operating rooms across the country, surgeons are using specialized glasses, called surgical loupes, that use a combination of Augmented Reality (AR) and AI to ensure quality care.
A report by the National Association of Medicine found that AI systems in clinical settings can drastically improve outcomes for patients and clinical teams, reduce the perennially-ballooning costs plaguing the industry, and improve societal health overall. Similarly, research conducted by the National Library of Medicine further found that advancements in cloud computing have the potential to address many of the supply and demand challenges providers face in an increasingly fraught field.
The narrative of fear surrounding AI may be loud, but in my experience, its true power lies not in the darkness it may cast, but in the light it can bring. Just as Siri and Alexa guided me through my own darkness, AI has the potential to guide countless others through theirs. Whether it’s a surgeon relying on AI-assisted precision during a critical procedure or a patient using an AI-powered app to manage chronic illness, the technology’s potential to better health is undeniable.
