Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing medicine, providing advances in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Its application in radiology, placing radiomics at the forefront, allows more accurate analysis and opens the door to personalized and predictive medicine.
However, AI does not replace the medical professional, but rather complements him/her. Their ability to analyze data and detect patterns helps doctors make more accurate decisions, but empathy, clinical judgment, and overall understanding of the patient remain invaluable.
What is Artificial Intelligence in medicine?
AI is a term that highlights a broad spectrum of technologies, from simple algorithms to complex implementations such as large language models. AI is rapidly influencing our lives and practically all professional fields. However, the application of this new technology in the medical field is one of those that is generating the most interest because of its progress, but also because of the professional and ethical limitations arising from its use.
The use of AI in medicine represents huge advances in diagnosis and treatment, but it also generates the need to treat this new technology carefully, setting ethical and good use criteria for the entire medical community.
What are the benefits of artificial intelligence in healthcare?
Radiology is one of the areas in which AI is being applied and we can say that its use in diagnostics is already important. So much so, that the use of this technology has given rise to a new paradigm in radiology, radiomics, which extracts diagnoses through the analysis of data invisible to the human eye.
The most real possibility arises from the combination of radiomics with information drawn from other disciplines such as pathology and genetics, moving towards personalized and increasingly precise medicine, which also enhances predictive capabilities and care.
According to Jesús Silva, Doctor in Physics and Professor of Master in Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Health at the European Center for Masters and Postgraduate Studies (CEMP), “AI is already being integrated into medical workflows, allowing professionals to improve “Equipments are being made available.” diagnoses and personalize treatments.” Furthermore, Silva explains: “AI can help us detect things that we might miss, such as tumors in the early stages. Additionally, it could include personalized medicine I have the potential to bring revolution.”
“By deeply analyzing the image, AI can predict which treatment will work best for each patient based on the characteristics of the tumor,” the expert says.
In this scenario, more and more medical professionals decide to take training in this subject to complete their expertise. The Master in Artificial Intelligence Applications in Health at CEMP is an excellent example of this.
The emergence of AI in the medical scenario is not aimed at replacing the doctor, but at providing him with more accurate diagnosis and treatment tools, aiding in early detection.
An inevitable question arises: are we headed towards a scenario in which AI will completely replace health care professionals? The answer, which does not give rise to debate, is no. AI is treated as a tool, not a substitute. Empathy, clinical judgment, and overall understanding of a patient’s health condition are intrinsically human elements that AI cannot replicate. However, this intelligence enhances these human capabilities by providing information and accuracy, gradually shifting the health care paradigm toward earlier and more preventive interventions.
In a world where information is available to everyone, misuse of the Internet to seek medical treatment is a known problem. Has this problem increased with the introduction of AI in the domestic sector? Although the increase cannot be said with certainty, there is a risk that people will rely more on tools like ChatGPT for medical guidance.
It is important to understand that these tools are for general and non-medical use, and should not replace a health professional’s personal assessment. Despite the development of medical chatbots designed to provide assistance and early testing, caution and use of tools provided by health services are necessary to receive adequate care.
In short, AI in medicine is a valuable adjunct, but it is not intended to replace medical consultation. It is a helpful tool that, when used consciously and combined with the experience of physicians, can significantly improve health care. To fully leverage the benefits of AI in the healthcare sector, it is necessary to separate its supporting role from personal healthcare.
Although it may include statements, data, or notes from health institutions or professionals, the information contained in medical writing is edited and prepared by journalists. We advise the reader to consult a health care professional with any health related questions.