Ahead of Intelligent Health, a convention to be held in Basel, Switzerland, on 13-14 September 2023, Dr. Zaid Al-fagih, Co-founder and CEO of Rhazes AI, shared his thoughts on the future impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the healthcare industry. More precisely, Al-fagih was asked to consider the potential effects of the growing utilization of Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) on healthcare.
Arguing that the implications of the adoption of such digital tools are not fully explored yet, Al-fagih maintains that generative AI and LLMs hold considerable promise for the future of healthcare. As usage becomes more widespread, this next generation of AI technologies could deliver a number of subtle or unexpected advantages.
Dr. Al-fagih pointed out that AI, instead of concentrating medical expertise solely at hi-tech hospitals, could play a role in decentralizing it, therefore democratizing the access to specialist knowledge. This means that healthcare providers even in remote areas or less developed regions would have the potential to access top-level medical expertise, thereby delivering improved care to their patients.
In addition, by automating various repetitive or analytical tasks within clinical medicine, AI could help clinicians concentrate more on the intrinsically human aspects of their roles, such as empathy, communication, and human understanding. Such a shift in focus could make the medical profession more “human” and could ultimately lead to better patient outcomes.
Yet, Al-fagih also highlighted several key considerations and potential pitfalls. He pointed out that the exponential growth of the AI sector is creating a hype cycle, and suggested that disillusionment about the capabilities and effectiveness of AI is inevitably going to follow. He raised critical questions about whether the industry will be able to navigate around issues such as over-reliance on AI, data privacy, potentially exacerbating healthcare inequality, and how well regulators can keep pace with the rapid development of these technologies.
Overall, Dr. Al-fagih’s insights address the profound potential held by Generative AI and LLMs, and the possible transformative impact they could have on the healthcare industry, whilst also cautioning about the potential challenges that must be overcome for such benefits to be fully realized. This insightful conversation underscores the optimistic yet pragmatic perspective needed when contemplating the future of AI in healthcare.
