The clamour of anxiety about artificial intelligence (AI) and the threat it might pose to our very existence is not to be dismissed.
But it must be seen in context, for there are aspects of this technology that are life-enhancing — even lifesaving.
Take stroke, for example, where time is of the essence for both diagnosis and treatment.
There are two causes of stroke: a ruptured blood vessel or a blocked one, and the difference is critical in deciding the correct treatment.
Currently this can only be settled by a scan, which then needs to be assessed by the medical team. But, thanks to a form of AI called e-stroke technology, they can all now see the scan images remotely and coordinate immediate action.
In a pilot study, begun in March 2020, at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, this not only carved a significant 60 minutes off the time taken to start treatment, but the patient outcomes were vastly improved. Three times as many patients (48 per cent compared with 16 per cent) were able to do everyday tasks after their stroke.
In short, AI is like the curate’s egg — good in parts. The secret, of course, is finding those good parts.
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