Could AI make a disease-free world?
Zak Kohane is quoted in Voice of America news article
An AI sign is displayed at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, China, on July 6, 2023. (Image courtesy Reuters/VOA)
Excerpt:
“AI has serious potential to improve the human condition by improving how we practice medicine and deliver health care,” Zak Kohane, chair of biomedical informatics at Harvard Medical School, told VOA by email.
Kohane listed several areas where AI can expedite diagnoses, suggest treatments that a human doctor might overlook, and even predict patient responses to therapies based on factors such as a tumor's unique genetic makeup.
“We will likely see the rise of AI tools that are able to track tell-tale changes and fluctuations in a patient’s record that may portend risk for certain complications of an existing condition or for the emergence of conditions years before they develop,” Kohane said.
“Ultimately, AI is a means to an end. What we do with this tool is up to humanity, to society as a whole. There needs to be political will in order for many of the benefits to be realized.
“In that sense, AI is a critical tool but not panacea.”