Are people today comfortable with the idea of Artificial Intelligence (AI) becoming an integral part of their everyday lives? Siri, Cortana, Echo and an ever-growing list of AI-enabled applications seem to indicate that there is a general ease with which people are embracing AI.
Which sectors are most likely to benefit from the AI boom? My bets are on education and healthcare. There’s immense potential for AI to fill the yawning gaps in today’s learning and medical systems. Let’s take a look at how this potential can be turned into a reality:
Education
Market research predicts that the global market for AI in education will post an impressive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 39 per cent by 2020. Thanks to the influx of iPads, mobiles, and laptops into the learning space, the traditional one-size-fits-all approach to education is slowly changing. The need of the hour is to make learning more personalized and teaching more responsive. AI, with its digital and dynamic nature, can be the real game changer.
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Personalized learning
Did you know that there are software that create customized textbooks and curriculum for students based on their previous performance, helping them master any given subject? Unlike a human teacher, AI-based systems have the ability to analyze large amounts of data in real-time, offer instant feedback, and specified learning parameters to make the whole process more engaging for students.
Also, there are personalized learning cloud platforms designed for the modern workplace. So, employers can now design customizable learning systems with apps, gamification, virtual courses and the like to encourage employees to stay ahead of the curve.
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Educational data mining
An interesting research published in the journal Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience talks about robotic tutors used in primary school classrooms to detect the emotional state of children (concentrating, distracted or inactive) while interacting with educational software. The idea is to make suitable pedagogic interventions, thereby improving the learning experience.
Education Data Mining (EDM)—a research field concerned with the application of data mining, machine learning and statistics in educational settings—is already being used at several institutions to track and analyze the behavior of students. The ultimate aim is to ensure that students don’t drop out of school or college.
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Intelligent tutoring systems
Designed with the ability to interpret complex human responses while imparting knowledge on a wide variety of subjects, Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) are known to provide a scientifically sound way of learning new concepts. For instance, the iTalk2Learn system is designed to figure out an individual’s mathematics knowledge, cognitive needs and emotional state, and give feedback as per their performance.
The approach to classroom education becomes more transparent, effective and holistic, when the tutors are involved in a constant dialogue with the students. It’s no longer a one-way street!
That apart, AI applications can also automate basic tasks like grading, marking attendance and making timetables, thereby, allowing teachers to concentrate on their core function. Similarly, chatbots can help streamline the admission processes, while virtual tutors can help students with information regarding career choices.
Healthcare
According to a recent survey in the US, a majority of people are more at ease with AI in healthcare settings than banking or retail. Growth in the AI health market, experts predict, will reach $6.6 billion by 2021. By modest estimates, key clinical health AI applications are expected to save approximately $150 billion for the US healthcare economy by 2026.
Let’s look at some of the most promising areas of AI in healthcare:
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Chronic disease management
The prevalence of chronic diseases is expected to rise by a whopping 57 per cent by 2020, says the World Health Organization. The key to cutting down on the ever-increasing costs of treating chronic diseases—such as diabetes, cardiac ailments, osteoporosis, kidney disease, etc.—lies in early detection and diagnosis.
AI is already being used to automate image processing tasks, like MRI, CT scans, ultrasound and x-rays, to swiftly and accurately identify signs of disease. Research shows how AI algorithms are also helping doctors to detect a wide-range of conditions, from skin cancer to Alzheimer and depression.
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Virtual health assistants
Virtual Health Assistants (VHAs) offer a smart way to provide customized monitoring and follow-up care for patients. From helping with timely medication reminders to offering real-time advice on common medical conditions, such as food poisoning and flu, and recommending preventive health screenings, VHAs can significantly reduce the burden on the overstretched healthcare system.
Mundane yet time-consuming tasks, like making the doctor’s schedule, keeping the discharge papers and bills ready, etc. can be easily automated through the use of AI. As healthcare bots learn to mimic human conversations and have empathetic engagement with patients, they will become more valuable.
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Data management and research
The biggest benefit of using AI in healthcare will be a scientific way of collecting, storing, sharing and analyzing data. While the Google Deepmind Health project mines the data of medical records to provide better and faster health services, Watson for Oncology analyzes the meaning and context of data in clinical notes and reports to identify the apt treatment plan for a patient.
From identifying patterns in huge data sets to looking for links to diseases, researchers are also eager to tap the potential of AI in genetics and genomics.
That apart, telemedicine (taking the best of medical facilities to remotest of areas) and robot-assisted surgeries (helping surgeons increase precision, flexibility and control for challenging procedures) are exciting applications of AI in medicine.
The last word
For AI to transcend the theoretical realms into valuable real-world applications, we need to do away with the fear of robots making humans redundant. Because the fact remains that no technology can completely replace the human factor, especially in fields like education and healthcare. Whether it’s making learning more adaptive or medicine more affordable, these two industries can be transformed profoundly by digital technology. The question is: Are we truly ready to join hands with technology to meet the mammoth challenges of today?
Check out this whitepaper: A Guide to Implementing Digital Transformation in healthcare
