Will Artificial Intelligence replace doctors in healthcare?

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Will Artificial Intelligence replace doctors in healthcare?

Haifa Alshammari

IT 104 – 001

3/3/2019

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Introduction and background

Artificial inelegance (AI) can be a replacement to performe some of human tasks. It

mimics human intelligence through learning, evaluating, correcting information and making

reasonable decisions (Jorg et al, 2018). It is the ability for machines to perform tasks

successfully. AI was first initiated to the modern world in the 50’s by John McCarthy, after his

first academic conference regarding AI (University of Washington, 2006). However, the idea of

creating a machine that stimulate human mind and act as human behaviors was proposed five

years prior to the conference, according to the same journal (2006, para.3).

Artificial intelligent machines, such as robots and computers, have been used in

healthcare facilities. Some people believe that reliance on AI in healthcare kept increasing since

it started to where it might replace physicians in the future. Therefore, this paper will discuss AI

and its impacts on physician’s career in the future from multiple angles.

Potential benefits and current use

In an article discussing how Artificial intelligence can improve health system in the

United States, AI is used currently in hospitals to guide doctors and nurses towards excellent

diagnostic and reduce errors as much as possible such as for diabatic patients (Kevin, 2017). In

addition, computers have been used to store patient’s information. ‘Robots were used recently to

check up on patients in hospitals and communicate with nurses. Communication between doctors

and patents in hospitals not only was through audio messages, nor was it typed information

carried by the robots only, but robots had an actual screen attached to it where allows

communication through images and videos, too. It is similar to a video call. A robot would
 Will Artificial Intelligence replace doctors in healthcare? | 3

physically walk, yet the physician would remotely control it from their office, as an example’

(Dingfelder, 2019).

Furthermore, not only robots were messengers between nurses and patients, they were

used in the United States since 2000 to perform what is called ‘Robotic surgeries’ (Mayo Clinic,

2019). Several beneficial results for robotic replacement such as less health issues and better

recovery afterwards were reported, according to the Mayo clinic website (2019). ‘Another

quality of using AI in healthcare is, it provides protection for its cybersecurity programs. It can

detect unusual events in systems and respond immediately, unlike traditional IT systems. The

technological system used to inform health workers with warnings that may pop up in the screen,

after a system were hacked’ (Siwicki, 2017).

Security aspects of Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence could be an advance tool for modern medicine, yet, it can validate

people’s private information. Saving medical history in smart phone such as using an app to

document health history for a person, in my opinion, make the information vulnerable and can be

easily comprehensible to hackers. In fact, business owners benefit from entered personal

information in smart phones for marketing purposes. They make use of this opportunity for

advertisement such as selling ads related to personal information after interned in search engines

(Brubaker, 2018).

Ethical and social impacts of Artificial intelligence

In a research studied the effects of AI on doctor’s career’s in healthcare, the ability to

form trust with patients is beneficial for physicians; Yet, the study claims that it might create bias

in treatment between patients due some physicians might discriminate between patients. Other
 Will Artificial Intelligence replace doctors in healthcare? | 4

doctors might prefer patients from specific race or ethnicity over another race and ethnicity.

Therefore, machines could be an advantage which eliminates bias and provide equal treatment

regardless of patient’s information. (Jorg et al, 2018). Artificial intelligence can also improve or

save people’s lives through telehealth. Patients could communicate with their physicians via cell

phones to measure and evaluate their health issue from a distance (Radhakirshna et al., 2013).

On the other hand, while AI are able to evaluate facts and provide easier and faster

calculations, human perspective is important to considerate in healthcare services. A human

judgment maintains privacy and security of patients while figuring out solutions for health

issues. It can better robotic for providing fair decisions that adjust with each situation (Lord,

2018). This type of judgment won’t be done via AI robots, According to Lord. Generally, it is

more like generating data, calculating it and providing it to physicians to evaluate it and make

decisions. There isn’t reasonably judging for health conditions of patients. Finally, vulnerability

of patient’s information challenges health worker’s morals due to any worker might have easy

access to it. Laws however protects patient’s private information from being exposed to

strangers.

Future use of Artificial intelligence in healthcare

According to Asif in his article Replacing humans with machines, Artificial intelligent

was created to better serve and improve human lives. Its purpose was to assist human instead of

replacing human brain. And therefore, the author believes that regardless of how intelligent

machines may reach, it will never beat human performance because they created it (2002).

Moreover, in the Artificial intelligence in healthcare journal, explains the true role of AI in

healthcare. They emphasize on the fact that it was designed to improve human judgmental

decisions via adequate information, yet, it was never meant to be created to replace or eliminate
 Will Artificial Intelligence replace doctors in healthcare? | 5

physician’s role (2018, p3). In Massey’s opinion in the same journal, AI might be developed to

examine human performance, yet, it will never replace it (2018).

Conclusion

To sum up, Artificial Intelligent machines were human made machines. They were

innovations of the past seventy years. Their purpose was to assist and provoke human

intelligence in healthcare. Not only there were many advantages of using AI such as preforming

surgeries and assist human with excellence calculations but also there were disadvantages to

using them regarding social and security issues. Starting from having information available to

health workers to the machines lacking humanitarian connection. It is hard to pin point a specific

issue dealing with AI as well as picking a one advantage from the many advantages of these

interventions.

The findings of this research showed the unlikelihood of AI replacing human role in

hospitals and health clinics, even though it brought an extraordinary development after it was

adopted in healthcare facilities. People seems to depend heavily on computers daily to perfume

even the simplest task, for Artificial intelligent robots, I personally believed it is impossible for it

to communicate emotionally with humans. It wasn’t weird to socially engage with humans or

sympathies with them, and thus it never replaces human position in health care.
 Will Artificial Intelligence replace doctors in healthcare? | 6

References

Ahmed, A. (2002). Replacing humans with machines. Best's Review, 102(11), 94. Retrieved

from https://search-proquest-com.mutex.gmu.edu/docview/205489217?accountid=14541

The resource talks about the use of Artificial intelligent machines in insurance companies. They

rely on Artificial intelligent machines to eliminate fraud. They also use computers to manage

legislations and compare between claims. However, the excessive use of AI computers had

raised concerns for employees. Due to companies heavily dependence on AI, some believe

companies might replace them later in the future with AI robots.

Brubaker, K. (2018). Artificial intelligence: Issues of consumer privacy, industry risks, and ethic

al concerns (Order No. 10812829). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Globa

l. (20 38967424). Retrieved from https://search-proquestcom.mutex.gmu.edu/docview/2038

967424?accountid=14541

Dingfelder. S., (2019). Is that a robot? Dr. Bear Bot helps care for kids at local hospital. Retrie

ved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/2019/02/15/is-that-robot-dr-bear-bot-

helps-care-kids-local-hospital/?utm_term=.90f3135b68a4

The resource is an article published in the Washington post website. It talks about how AI in

involved in healthcare and explains more about some of its functions. For example, AI robot’s

role is discussed in the article as messengers. They are assisting nurses and patients such as

delivering information from and to nurses. Robot not only carry information to patients, but also

patients are able to communicate with health providers through a screen.

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E-Health Initiative., (2018). Artificial intelligence in healthcare. Retrieved from

https://www.ehidc.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/Artificial%20Intelligence%20in%20

Healthcare%2FINAL%20Nov%202018.pdf

The reference talks about artificial intelligence and how it is incorporated in todays modern life.

It discusses a little bit the topic from a historical point of view. It goes through when the term

‘artificial intelligence’ was first used and how it was created. Then, the journal moves on to how

was it created and what where the purpose of creating robots. The source was really useful for

this paper due to it justifies the function of AI machines. It also clearly motions how it will not

replace future doctors.

Goldhahn, J., Rampton, V., & Spinas, G. A. (2018). Could artificial intelligence make doctors

obsolete? BMJ : British Medical Journal (Online), 363

doi:http://dx.doi.org.mutex.gmu.edu/10.1136/bmj .k4563

The reference talks about both sides of using artificial intelligent machines in healthcare.

However, although there were many proven advantages of artificial intelligent robots, the article

stresses out the importance of doctors in health facilities. For example, some of the importance

that won’t be possible for an artificial intelligent machine to function is the emotional connection

that human can do through communicating.

Lord, R., (2018). What AI can (and can’t) do for healthcare security and privacy. Retrieved from

https://post-healthcare.com/what-ai-can-and-cant-do-for-healthcare-security-and-

privacy6f57173fdd9c

the reference is mainly about the abilities and what can a robot do and don’t do. The author of

the article explains why he believes robots sometimes might be unbeneficial in some situations
 Will Artificial Intelligence replace doctors in healthcare? | 8

such as in security aspects. Although he believes they helped a lot with detecting unusual

activities, still they are some parts of the machine that needed to be developed to reach excellent

performance, or maybe it will never reach it such as in social connection.

Maney, K. (2017, Jun 02). How artificial intelligence will cure america's sick health care system.

Newsweek, 168 Retrieved from https://search-proquest-

com.mutex.gmu.edu/docview/1903490456?accountid=14541

the reference explains some of the current use of artificial intelligent machines such as

computers. Computers have been used in healthcare to provide better diagnostic of health issues.

Also, it was designed to remove errors as much as possible while evaluating a patient sample. It

is more efficient than physician due to it cost less time and energy.

Mayo Clinic., (2019). Robotic Surgry. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-

procedures/robotic-surgery/about/pac-20394974

The reference is a journal. It is talking specifically about Robotic surgery. When the technology

started, when was it used, how was it used and how modern medicine cope with it. The technique

itself is new to modern medicine and it is not used for every patient, yet, some physicians prefer

to use robotic surgeries over regular surgeries for many reasons such as reducing amount of

infection and increasing the healing process of the patient.

Radhakrishna, K., Bowles, K., & Zettek-Sumner, A. (2013). Contributors to frequent telehealth

alerts including false alerts for patients with heart failure: A mixed methods exploration. A

pplied Clinical Informatics, 4(4), 465-475. doi:

http://dx.doi.org.mutex.gmu.edu/10.4338/ACI-2013-06-RA-0039
 Will Artificial Intelligence replace doctors in healthcare? | 9

Siwicki. B., (2017). Artificial intelligence is giving healthcare cybersecurity programs a boost.

Retrieved from https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/artificial-intelligence-giving-

healthcare-cybersecurity-programs-boost

This reference is an article. it shows some of the technological advantages of Artificial

intelligence in IT. In the article, it mainly focusses on how computers were developed to detect

unusual activities in computers. Also, how it provides healthcare with a strong protection to its

cybersecurity programs especially that cybersecurity programs are targeted, and hacking has

became easy nowadays.

University of Washington., (2006). The History of Artificial Intelligence. Retrieved from

https://courses.cs.washington.edu/courses/csep590/06au/projects/history-ai.pdf

The reference is scientific journal. It is talking about artificial intelligent and the history behind

the innovation. The journal explains furthermore general introduction, highlighting some of the

issues that were followed up with using artificial intelligent robots and computers. Additionally,

it reaches to other usage of the technology such as using computer for games like playing chess.

Finally, it discusses the capability of the robots to ‘think’ logically, and if it was able to better

human brain when evaluating information.