羅賓·費(fèi)倫

As AI technology becomes more sophisticated， we can expect them to be used more often in the world of human medicine and healthcare. But is it possible to create medical AIs that rapidly outperform doctors in certain tasks？ Find out all the ways AI is helping the healthcare world.

AI is designed to mimic the human brain in decision making and learning， so with the computing power to learn tasks in days or even hours， it is possible to create medical AIs that rapidly outperform doctors in certain tasks.

Most of the AI systems working in medicine employ smart algorithms， with the machine and deep learning techniques， and are supplemented by speech recognition and computer or machine vision to make their decisions.

It will be some time before researchers can develop artificial general intelligence systems capable of abstracting knowledge and developing their own experiences to share with other AIs. But firms like Microsoft， Google， Apple， IBM and Facebook are gearing themselves up1 to deliver the most advanced AI personalized healthcare possible for patients around the world.

Data plays a hugely important role in helping AI systems learn about human medicine. AI systems are trained on large data sets gathered from real-life cases. Providing detailed patient information in volume is a crucial factor for their success.

One of the most important areas for influencing global health is in the field of epidemiology. Predicting disease outbreaks can save millions of lives by having resources ready should the worst happen. Startup AIME2 has successfully combined public health data with machine learning and AI to create a prediction engine capable of anticipating epidemics months in advance with great accuracy.

Another field where medical AIs are making rapid advances is in diagnostics. Doctors base a lot of decisions on information from X-ray， CT and MRI images. Speeding up diagnoses from patient scans can rapidly improve patient care and outcomes.

Computer vision AIs use pattern recognition to work through these images with incredible speed and accuracy. They have been able to outperform junior doctors and even senior specialists in some tests.

Cardiologist Rima Arnaout developed an AI that beat human experts at correctly interpreting echocardiograms by 92 percent to 79 percent. She said that despite the result there is no prospect of AI replacing human doctors any time soon. “As cardiologists， we read the images and then go see the patient，” she said. “So were both reading images and practicing medicine. I dont think that the second piece will be taken over so quickly.”

The results are obviously impressive， but being aware of the hype around AI in medicine is just as important for both physicians and patients. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers （IEEE） has a handy visualization tool to show where smart algorithms and humans were better at detecting health problems.

People are sharing more and more of their health data through apps on mobile and wearable devices. Now virtual and voice assistants using natural language processing and AI are being prepped to provide healthcare on-demand. Amazons Alexa3 has partnered with the UKs National Health Service （NHS） to provide users with health advice， but it could also be used to tell if you are having a heart attack.

Governments in many countries face the prospect of ageing populations. This will likely see the expansion of AI services， including robotic helpers. Robots designed specifically to interact with people could help solve the problems of isolation and loneliness that affect many older people.

Georgia Institute of Technology built an experimental robot called PR2 that taught itself how to put a gown onto humans in just one day. Those skills could be readily adapted for people in hospitals and care homes around the world.

We already have mobile robotic telepresence （MRT） systems available to provide support to the ill and elderly. This class of social robots are effectively remote-controlled video screens on wheels that allow medics， carers， or relatives to interact with people in their own homes.

Pet androids like Aibo the robot dog， or Paro （a baby seal） provide companionship and learn from their interactions about each owners preferences.

More humanoid robots include the ‘emotional robot BUDDY， which is able to provide social interaction， be a personal assistant， play multimedia and games， and look after the elderly， according to its makers. Mabu is another wide-eyed humanoid robot that uses AI and a recipe of best practices from human doctors to help monitor heart failure patients.

Robot AIs can also be put to work in hospitals to help doctors and nurses spend more time with their patients. Moxi is a robot assistant that helps staff by completing general tasks such as delivering lab samples， collecting laundry or gathering medical supplies.

Even in the surgical suite， there is support from AI robotic surgery systems that reduce variations4 between surgeons which affect patient recovery. Dr. John Birkmeyer， a chief clinical officer of Sound Physicians5 said， “we know that a surgeons skill， particularly with new or difficult procedures， varies widely， with huge implications for patient outcomes and cost. AI can both reduce that variation， and help all surgeons improve—even the best ones.”

The acceptance of AI in medicine will continue to gather pace in the future as it becomes more widespread. Its promise to enhance patient care by reducing errors in diagnosis， improving the ability to predict disease， and providing assistance to busy clinicians is also the promise of keeping humans at the centre of healthcare.

隨著人工智能技術(shù)日趨成熟，其在人類醫(yī)學(xué)和醫(yī)療保健領(lǐng)域的應(yīng)用會(huì)越來(lái)越廣泛。但有可能開(kāi)發(fā)出在某些工作上迅速超越人類醫(yī)生的醫(yī)學(xué)人工智能技術(shù)嗎？我們來(lái)看看人工智能在醫(yī)療保健領(lǐng)域都有哪些應(yīng)用。

人工智能旨在模擬人腦進(jìn)行決策和學(xué)習(xí)，因?yàn)橛?jì)算機(jī)有超強(qiáng)學(xué)習(xí)能力，幾天甚至幾個(gè)小時(shí)就能完成某項(xiàng)學(xué)習(xí)任務(wù)，因此開(kāi)發(fā)出在某些工作上迅速超越人類醫(yī)生的醫(yī)學(xué)人工智能是有可能的。

大多數(shù)醫(yī)學(xué)領(lǐng)域的人工智能系統(tǒng)采用智能算法，利用機(jī)器學(xué)習(xí)和深度學(xué)習(xí)技術(shù)，輔以語(yǔ)音識(shí)別和計(jì)算機(jī)或機(jī)器視覺(jué)來(lái)做決策。

研制出能夠提煉所學(xué)知識(shí)和積累經(jīng)驗(yàn)與其他人工智能進(jìn)行分享的通用人工智能系統(tǒng)尚需時(shí)日，但微軟、谷歌、蘋果、國(guó)際商用機(jī)器公司（IBM）和臉書等公司正在準(zhǔn)備為全世界的患者提供最先進(jìn)的人工智能個(gè)性化醫(yī)療服務(wù)。

在幫助人工智能系統(tǒng)掌握人類醫(yī)學(xué)知識(shí)的過(guò)程中，數(shù)據(jù)扮演著極其重要的角色。人工智能系統(tǒng)通過(guò)來(lái)源于真實(shí)病例的大型數(shù)據(jù)集學(xué)習(xí)。提供大量而詳實(shí)的病患數(shù)據(jù)是其成功的關(guān)鍵因素。

流行病學(xué)是影響全球健康最重要的醫(yī)學(xué)領(lǐng)域之一。預(yù)測(cè)疾病的暴發(fā)，從而在最壞的情況發(fā)生時(shí)有所準(zhǔn)備，可以拯救千百萬(wàn)人的生命。初創(chuàng)企業(yè)AIME成功地將公共衛(wèi)生數(shù)據(jù)與機(jī)器學(xué)習(xí)和人工智能結(jié)合起來(lái)，開(kāi)發(fā)出的預(yù)測(cè)工具能夠提前數(shù)月對(duì)流行病進(jìn)行精準(zhǔn)預(yù)測(cè)。

醫(yī)學(xué)人工智能發(fā)展迅速的另一個(gè)領(lǐng)域是診斷學(xué)。醫(yī)生做的很多決定都基于X光、CT和核磁共振成像的檢驗(yàn)結(jié)果，加快醫(yī)學(xué)影像的診斷速度可以迅速提高病患護(hù)理質(zhì)量和改善治療效果。

計(jì)算機(jī)視覺(jué)人工智能利用模式識(shí)別技術(shù)處理影像，速度之快、準(zhǔn)確度之高都達(dá)到驚人的程度。在一些測(cè)試中，其表現(xiàn)已超過(guò)了初級(jí)醫(yī)生甚至資深?？漆t(yī)生。

心臟病學(xué)家里馬·阿爾瑙特開(kāi)發(fā)了一種人工智能技術(shù)，解讀超聲心動(dòng)圖的準(zhǔn)確率為92%，比人類專家（79%）更勝一籌。但她認(rèn)為，即便如此，短期內(nèi)人工智能也無(wú)法取代人類醫(yī)生?！白鳛樾呐K病專家，我們看過(guò)影像后還要進(jìn)行面診?！彼f(shuō)，“我們既解讀影像又問(wèn)診和觸診。我認(rèn)為這第二部分的工作不會(huì)這么快就被人工智能取代?！?/p>

科研成果令人矚目，但意識(shí)到人工智能在醫(yī)學(xué)領(lǐng)域被過(guò)度宣傳對(duì)醫(yī)生和患者同樣重要。電氣與電子工程師協(xié)會(huì)有便于操作的可視化工具，可演示智能算法與人類在探查疾病方面各有哪些優(yōu)勢(shì)。

人們?cè)絹?lái)越多地通過(guò)手機(jī)應(yīng)用和可穿戴設(shè)備分享自己的健康數(shù)據(jù)。目前正在研制可運(yùn)用自然語(yǔ)言處理和人工智能技術(shù)的虛擬語(yǔ)音助手，根據(jù)需要提供醫(yī)療保健服務(wù)。亞馬遜公司的Alexa人工智能助手與英國(guó)國(guó)家醫(yī)療服務(wù)體系合作，為用戶提供健康咨詢，也可以用來(lái)判斷你是否心臟病發(fā)作。

很多國(guó)家的政府即將面對(duì)人口老齡化問(wèn)題，這可能促使包括機(jī)器人助手在內(nèi)的人工智能服務(wù)的發(fā)展。許多老年人易產(chǎn)生孤獨(dú)感，專門設(shè)計(jì)用來(lái)與人互動(dòng)的機(jī)器人有助于克服這些問(wèn)題。

佐治亞理工學(xué)院制造了一款叫做PR2的實(shí)驗(yàn)機(jī)器人，一天內(nèi)就自學(xué)掌握了如何給人穿外罩，此技能隨時(shí)可以推廣到全世界的醫(yī)院和看護(hù)中心。

現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)有了移動(dòng)機(jī)器人遠(yuǎn)程呈現(xiàn)系統(tǒng)，能夠?yàn)椴∪撕屠夏耆颂峁椭?。此類社交機(jī)器人實(shí)際上是帶輪子的遠(yuǎn)程控制視頻屏幕，醫(yī)生、護(hù)工或親屬可通過(guò)它們?cè)谧约杭依锱c需要照顧的人互動(dòng)。

機(jī)器狗Aibo或小海豹Paro這樣的寵物機(jī)器人可以提供陪伴，并且能在互動(dòng)中了解自己主人的喜好。

還有更多的類人機(jī)器人，如“有情感的”機(jī)器人Buddy，據(jù)制造者介紹，它懂得社交互動(dòng)，可以做個(gè)人助理，會(huì)使用多媒體和玩游戲，還能照顧老人。Mabu是另外一款大眼類人機(jī)器人，它利用人工智能和人類醫(yī)生提供的最佳治療方案來(lái)幫助監(jiān)護(hù)心臟衰竭患者。

人工智能機(jī)器人還可以在醫(yī)院幫忙，讓醫(yī)生和護(hù)士有更多的時(shí)間照料病人。Moxi是一款機(jī)器人助手，它可以幫工作人員完成諸如運(yùn)送實(shí)驗(yàn)室樣品、取走臟衣服或收集醫(yī)療耗材等日常工作。

即使在外科手術(shù)室里也能用到人工智能自動(dòng)手術(shù)系統(tǒng)，這類系統(tǒng)縮小了不同外科醫(yī)生的技術(shù)差異，這些差異會(huì)影響患者康復(fù)效果。Sound Physicians的首席臨床官約翰·伯克邁耶醫(yī)生說(shuō)：“我們知道，外科醫(yī)生間的技術(shù)差異是很大的，尤其是在做新的或復(fù)雜的手術(shù)時(shí)，對(duì)醫(yī)療效果和治療費(fèi)用都有很大影響。而人工智能既可以縮小這類差異，又可以幫助所有外科醫(yī)生——甚至是最好的外科醫(yī)生——提升技術(shù)?！?/p>

將來(lái)，隨著人工智能越來(lái)越普及，其在醫(yī)療領(lǐng)域的應(yīng)用也會(huì)繼續(xù)加快步伐。有望通過(guò)減少誤診、提高疾病預(yù)測(cè)能力和為忙碌的臨床醫(yī)生提供幫助來(lái)提高病患護(hù)理水平，實(shí)際上也是在醫(yī)療保健工作中做到以人為本。

（譯者為“《英語(yǔ)世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎(jiǎng)選手）