How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Healthcare Human
Copyright (c) 2019
by Eric Topol
The author, an innovative medical school president in California, is one of my favorites on the topic of computing in medicine. He sees the medical landscape wider than most scholars, and he is a true humanist at heart. He surveys the field of artificial intelligence and sees how it could apply to modern medicine.
Most of the described projects are pipe dreams now, but Topol sees potential in them. Of course, they need rigorous clinical trials to demonstrate their efficacy. I would love for my personal doctor to prescribe a mobile app for me to track this or that.
I’ve been on the bandwagon of medical mobile apps for a while now. They adopt the power of computing to the ever-changing landscape of life. Artificial intelligence can only add to this power as it will help us solve many problems. In the clinic, virtual assistants, equipped with the power of Natural Language Processing, can even help MDs spend more “human time” with their patients.
Of course, not all will be ideal. Topol tackles the dysutopian themes of artificial intelligence, too. We must be sure that ethics continue to be maintained and that humans remain the driver in the doctor-patient relationship. But in truth, are humans really the driver in the relationship now? Money is a much stronger driver than humanism now. Let’s hope that artificial intelligence adds to the humanism before the money can take over even more.
This book is a great read for those in the field of medical technology, healthcare, or technology. It’s written in an accessible manner while still be thoroughly researched. I love all of Topol’s work.