Should artificial intelligence (AI) in health care make life-or-death decisions? AI-triage systems are already being tested worldwide. Here's a look at some benefits and risks of AI in health care.

Cambridge

The release of Open AI's ChatGPT has accelerated the development of artificial intelligence and warnings about its impact on society.

Rise of AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being tested worldwide in healthcare settings, introducing a new era where technology could play a crucial role in determining patient care outcomes. AI triage systems, aimed at assisting doctors by prioritizing emergency treatments and suggesting medical interventions, are at the forefront of this innovation. These systems have the potential to revolutionize medical diagnostics and treatment efficiency by quickly processing vast amounts of data to assess patient conditions and recommend actions.

An interesting experiment conducted by scientists at Cambridge University in the UK highlighted AI's potential in medical diagnosis. The study compared the performance of CHAT-GPT-4, an AI trained with approximately 400 questions on ophthalmology, against doctors at various stages of their careers. The AI's performance, accurate in 69% of cases, was only surpassed by expert ophthalmologists, but it outperformed ophthalmology trainees and junior general doctors. Although the sample size of this study was limited, it suggests that AI could support medical professionals by offering diagnostic insights, especially in specialized fields.

Furthermore, research from prominent institutions such as Johns Hopkins University in the US and Augsburg University in Germany has explored AI's capabilities in triage. Findings indicate that medical AI can significantly enhance diagnostic speed and efficiency. Due to its ability to multitask and operate ceaselessly, AI can alleviate the workload of healthcare staff by processing and analyzing patient data swiftly, ensuring quick response times in critical scenarios.

However, the deployment of AI in healthcare is not without its challenges. A significant concern is the trust in AI decision-making processes among both patients and healthcare professionals. The algorithms' "black box" nature, wherein the decision-making process is not transparent, raises trust and ethical issues. Additionally, the current specialization of AI systems limits their versatility, making them less suitable for general medical advice compared to human doctors. Another limitation is the potential bias in AI systems, which may arise from training on non-diverse data sets. This underscores the importance of developing AI with comprehensive and representative data to ensure its appropriateness for a diverse patient population.

In conclusion, while AI triage systems hold significant promise for enhancing healthcare efficiency and diagnostic capabilities, their success largely depends on overcoming challenges related to trust, transparency, and data diversity. AI is envisaged as a tool to support, rather than replace, medical professionals, offering a critical advantage in the continuous effort to improve patient care.



The impact of AI on healthcare

Would you like AI to help decide on your cancer treatment? How do you feel about AI triage, meaning AI deciding who gets treated first in the emergency room? Well, AI triage systems are already being tested in hospitals. They are also being tried out in medical practices to help find the best possible treatment. What are the benefits and what are the risks? Let's start with medical diagnosis from CHAT-GPT. Check out this interesting experiment by scientists at Cambridge University in the UK. They tested the knowledge of doctors at different stages of their career against CHAT-GPT-4. The AI was first trained with about 400 questions on eye disorders or ophthalmology. Next, CHAT-GPT-4 was subjected to a mock exam. The AI was right in 69% of cases. It was outscored only by expert ophthalmologists, but it outperformed ophthalmology trainees and junior general doctors. Well, these results are not representative. There were only a handful of participants. But this experiment can give you an idea of the potential advantages of AI in the medical sector. AI triage has been studied by top institutes like Johns Hopkins University in the US and Augsburg University in Germany. Here's a look at the findings. Medical AI can boost diagnosis efficiency and speed. It can process huge amounts of information very quickly. Powered by advanced algorithms and machine learning, AI quickly assesses the severity of a patient's condition and determines who needs a doctor first. And AI is a multitasker. It cannot only process large volumes of diverse patient data quickly. Many AI systems can complete various tasks at the same time, like assessing resources for surgery. Very helpful when time is of the essence. Last but not least, unlike us humans, AI triage systems can operate around the clock. They can provide continuous support and reduce the workload for health care professionals. Sounds great, but what are the limitations? First, us humans often don't trust AI. That goes for patients and health care professionals alike. How does the algorithm make decisions? That is often a bit of a black box to us. It's difficult to understand how AI reaches certain conclusions. This lack of transparency can lead to a lack of trust and ethical concerns about following the AI's advice. Apart from that, AI wouldn't make a good general practitioner. AI systems at the moment are highly specialized, meaning an AI trained with data on cancer treatment is not fit to give general advice in an emergency room. Plus, whereas a doctor notices multiple factors about a patient during an examination, the AI only works with the data it was given. That means AI is not as good as a doctor when it comes to combining information on health conditions with those on a patient's personal life. Finally, AI triage systems can only be as good as the data they're trained on. Let's suppose a system was primarily trained on health data of white males aged 35 to 50. The AI would not be suitable for anyone else. So, developers carry the responsibility of creating diverse and truly representative data sets. To be clear, AI triage systems are not meant to make any decisions on life or death on their own. They are meant as tools to assist doctors and as such they can be of great help for medical professionals, as patients could benefit a great deal from AI if the data sets are comprehensive, if developers train the algorithms to take multiple factors into account and if doctors are trained to use AI responsibly.

President Vladimir Putin was sworn in for a new six-year term on Tuesday (May 7) at a Kremlin ceremony, boycotted by the U.S. and other Western countries, at which he said he was potentially open to nuclear talks with the West.

Moscow

Putin starts new six-year term with challenge to West

The Israeli military said it had taken operational control of the Palestinian side of Gaza's southern Rafah Crossing, which borders Egypt, and that special forces were scanning the area.

Rafah

Israel-Gaza War

Israel claims control of Rafah crossing

President Vladimir Putin has ordered the Russian military to hold nuclear weapons drills involving the navy and troops based near Ukraine, the defence ministry said Monday.

Ukraine Invasion

Putin orders nuclear drills near Ukraine

Australian and Chinese relations are strained following an incident involving military forces from both countries. During a routine operation in the Yellow Sea, within international waters, an Australian helicopter faced an aggressive manoeuver by a Chinese military jet.

Council of the City of Sydney

Australia hits out at China over helicopter incident

Interest rates will remain unchanged after the Reserve Bank of Australia decided to keep the cash rate at 4.35%, a figure that has held steady since November. It comes amidst the ongoing struggle with rising costs of living pressures.

RBA keeps interest rates on hold

Israel has launched new airstrikes in Rafah, warning 100,000 people there to flee to a designated safe area ahead of an expected ground operation. The strikes came after Hamas agreed to a mediated ceasefire proposal but Israel did not.

Hamas accepts mediated ceasefire deal; Israel doesn't

The bodies of Perth brothers Callum and Jake Robinson have been formally identified after their grieving family arrived in Mexico. Authorities have arrested four people in connection with the alleged murders.

Baja California

Grieving family arrives in Mexico to identify brothers' remains

The Defence Minister has condemned the conduct of a Chinese fighter jet, which launched flares near an Australian Seahawk helicopter. The incident occurred over international waters in the Yellow Sea off the coast of South Korea.

Seoul

Chinese fighter jet detonates flares near Australian helicopter

Israel's military has carried out airstrikes in Rafah, residents said, hours after Israel told Palestinians to evacuate parts of the southern Gaza city where more than a million people uprooted by the war have been sheltering.

Jerusalem

Israel strikes Rafah after evacuation order, residents say

Chinese President Xi Jinping awoke in Paris on Monday on his first visit to the region in five years, with trade and Russia's war with Ukraine on the agenda in talks with France's Emmanuel Macron and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.

Paris

China's Xi Jinping pays state visit to France

Israel has ordered civilians in Rafah to move towards Khan Younis, in the clearest sign yet that a military operation is imminent. A ceasefire in Gaza looks as distant as ever with Hamas refusing to lay down arms unless there is a complete cessation of the war. Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would go it alone if necessary, even in the face of criticism from its Western allies.

Israeli army orders Palestinians to evacuate parts of Rafah

The bodies Australian brothers, Jake and Callum Robinson have been identified by authorities in Baja California, Mexico. It comes as their grieving parents arrive in the country.

Brothers identified as victims of Mexico robbery

Qantas has been ordered to compensate passengers following revelations that it sold tickets on thousands of flights that had already been cancelled. The airline has agreed to pay a $100 million fine and $20 million in compensation to affected passengers.

Mascot

Qantas ordered to pay compensation over 'ghost flight' scandal

A former detective is facing allegations of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman whose case he was initially assigned to investigate. Accused of exploiting his authority, Glenn Coleman, 55, has been charged with 10 offences,

Penrith

Police officer accused of assaulting rape victim

The death toll from heavy rains that have caused flooding in Brazil's southern state of Rio Grande do Sul has risen to at least 78, local authorities said, with more than 115,000 people displaced.

State of Rio Grande do Sul

Climate Crisis

Death toll rises in record-breaking Brazil floods

China's President Xi Jinping has arrived in France for a rare visit with President Emmanuel Macron. They are set to discuss trade, amid growing tension between Europe and China over an imbalance between China's exports and European imports.

China's Xi Jinping visits Europe amid global tensions

While several pro-Palestinian campus protests in the U.S. were dismantled over the weekend, others became more disruptive and interrupted at least one graduation ceremony.

Chicago

Protests disrupt graduation ceremonies at U.S. universities

Prospects for a Gaza ceasefire appeared slim as Hamas reiterated its demand for an end to the war in exchange for the freeing of hostages, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flatly ruled that out.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Gaza truce hopes fade as Israel, Hamas trade blame

The Israeli cabinet has voted to unanimously shut down Al Jazeera's operations in the country. That's according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement on X. 
It is not clear when this decision will take effect.

Israel announces ban of Al Jazeera channel, website

Australian police said they have shot dead a boy after he stabbed a man in Western Australia's capital Perth, in an attack authorities said indicated terrorism.

Perth

Australian police shoot boy dead after stabbing

Sadiq Khan has been elected mayor of London, winning a historic third term after a dramatic contest. Khan was declared the winner over the Conservative candidate, Susan Hall with 43.8% of the vote.

London

Sadiq Khan elected London mayor for third term

Floods have killed at least 58 people in southern Brazil. Nearly 70,000 have been forced from their homes. Tens of thousands of people have been left without drinking water or electricity. It's the worst flooding the region has seen in more than 80 years.

'It's going to get worse': Brazil braces for flood peaks

Students at the University of California in Irvine say they will remain on campus until all their demands are met. School officials say they'll continue to negotiate with the protesters -- and are hoping to reach a deal soon.

Irvine

Police, protesters in stand-off at California university

The Federal Government will cut $3 billion in student debts, in measures to be announced in next week's budget. The reforms will see the student loans of three million graduates by an average of $1200 and changes to loan indexation.

Camperdown

Labor to wipe $3 billion of student debts

Mexican authorities have charged three suspects over the disappearance of Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad. It's believed the tourists became embroiled in a bungled robbery. Four bodies were found near the trio's abandoned campsite, but are yet to be formally identified.

Mexican authorities lay charges over Australian brothers' disappearance

A knife-wielding teenage boy has been shot dead by police in Bunnings carpark in Willetton, Perth. The 16-year-old boy had phoned Triple Zero saying he planned ‘acts of violence’ and stabbed a male member of the public. The WA Police Commissioner says the teenager had ‘mental health and radicalisation issues’.

Willetton

Police shoot dead ‘radicalised’ teenage boy in Perth

The death toll from rains in Brazil's southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul rose to 57, local authorities said on Saturday (May 4) afternoon, while dozens still have not been accounted for.

Dozens missing amid record-breaking Brazil flooding

There are renewed hopes for a ceasefire in Gaza after a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo to continue talks amid reports of a proposal agreed to by Israel to halt fighting for an initial 40 days in exchange for the release of hostages.

Hopes rise for Gaza ceasefire amid Hamas talks

Students showing support for Palestinians have set up camp outside the University College London. They say they'll continue their protest until the university divests from Israeli institutions that 'profit from the war in Gaza'.

Pro-Palestine university protests spread to London

Dozens of Palestinians have held a demonstration in the West Bank, to condemn the killing of five Palestinian fighters. Crowds rallied hours after Israeli troops attacked the fighters in the village of Deir al Ghoson.

SEE THE FULL STORY

Rise of AI