AI in Medicine: Where Are We Heading?

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence in coming to Medicine in a big wave. From making diagnosis in various medical conditions, suggesting the most appropriate treatment, finding of the latest advancement in the literature, to predicting the prognosis and outcome of the disease, AI is offering unprecedented opportunities to improve care of our patients. Taking digestive tract cancer as an example, AI-assisted image analysis aids the detection of colorectal neoplasia during colonoscopy, provide so-called optical biopsy of the lesions, integrate genomic, epigenetic and metagenomics data to provide new classification and sub-classification of the cancers, and provide evidence-based suggestion what is the optimal therapy of the condition. Furthermore, AI-assisted surgery, through semi-automated and (in future) fully-automated robotic surgery, will take over at least some part of the surgical treatment of such malignant lesions. This is a defining moment in Medicine. What is the future role of doctors and nurses? How should we train medical students and pharmacists and physiotherapists in the future? And, importantly, when things go wrong, such as reaching a wrong diagnosis and/or mishap occurring in the treatment of a patient, who should take the responsibility? This lecture will offer a peek into the future.