The Future of a Machine: An AI Healthcare Story

As we continue the revolution of healthcare in the name of the patient, how will AI continue to shape outcomes? Will AI live to the potential and expectations we have envisioned? Will this man-made almighty algorithm be the arrow to penetrate the Achilles heel of providing better patient care? More importantly, what exactly are we witnessing right now? In the age of data, and more specifically data overload, will this technology enable our providers and give power to patient communities to make better decisions? Furthermore, will it make decisions based on not only the knowledge at hand, but the knowledge aggregated from the masses?

Let us begin to explore how AI will transform healthcare. We will eventually take a glimpse into how the integration of AI, in conjunction with nanotechnology, will one day create a whole new world. This world will not only impact a patient from a treatment perspective, but the population from a prevention perspective. I have the pleasure of marrying into a family of doctors, and the common theme at our dinner table is simple: prevention is better than cure, but how do we get there, and more importantly, how can technology and in this case AI be the yellow brick road we are all anticipating, me included.

AI has become the buzzword of today and many mainstream applications now have some form of AI capability. The medical field is no different. In the last year most of us have heard of the Google backed AI algorithm. Googles AI was able to detect breast cancer just as accurately or at times more accurate than a human. Let us put this into context, breast cancer is the second leading cause of death for woman with cancer. As AI models implement a continuous learning, we could be looking at the silver bullet that killed the werewolf, and in this case our werewolf is cancer.

Let us fast forward 5 to 10 years from today. Do you see an AI algorithm working alongside the healthcare system? Furthermore, do you see AI partnering with the provider enabling them to provide optimal care? I think in the next few years we will see a trajectory that started in the 90’s and through the times has become more powerful and efficient. A physician having this tool in the toolbox could become unstoppable, and more importantly, the hero that families needed for their loved ones before these discoveries were made.

In the above, we briefly explored how AI has started to create major impacts among the healthcare industry. Let us now dive a bit deeper and explore what this could look like in the future with nanotechnology.

Let us baseline ourselves with a very high-level overview of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology usage takes place at the molecular level. This technology can be used in many verticals, but for the sake of our conversation we will concentrate on healthcare. I would like you to fast forward 20 years, maybe even 50, or to a time where you see nanotechnology being viable beyond studies. Close your eyes, and imagine these little guys running all around your body, being transported via your body’s natural highway, your vascular system.

We are already witnessing today the rise of nanobots. Nanobots is an engineering discipline within the nanotechnology realm. Further imagine these nanobots being integrated with AI-backed continuous learning. The power behind this concept could mean a multitude of things, and have an incredible impact to patient care, and further change and even turn the health system as we know it upside down.

I predict that one day these nanobots will be able to extend life, cure our irregularities, and detect and repair or eliminate major diseases such as cancer. This will be the stage where we witness and live preventative care at its best. While I predict this will happen, I do not think I will see it in my lifetime at its full maturity. It is important to note, in the above discussion I mention 20 years, one has to admit COVID-19 has accelerated everything, this included.

Throughout this discussion we delve into data overload, AI continuous learning, and as they say in the Star Wars universe, went lightspeed to a visualization of what nanotechnology and furthermore nanobots could make, and I believe will make.

To conclude our discussion, I would like to leave you with a couple thoughts to ponder. Throughout our discussion one might have noticed, I asked more questions than I answered. This was by no means unintentional.

The last thought to ponder revolves around you.

“Who could have been helped, or even saved, with just half of the capabilities mentioned?”