Artificial Intelligence

In a bipartisan new report on artificial intelligence, Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on IT, and Ranking Member Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Illinois, put forth funding and policy recommendations for addressing AI's impact on the public and private sectors – including healthcare. WHY IT MATTERS As artificial intelligence continues to evolve at an exponential pace and find its way into all manner of technology, it's already having profound effects on all industries and many important facets of society. Healthcare, of course, is no different, with AI making itself felt in fundamental ways – from newly-approved tools to detect diabetic retinopathy, to applications for new techniques for pop health and precision medicine. This new report explores the ways AI could impact four areas, in healthcare and elsewhere: workforce, privacy, data integrity and cybersecurity. Specifically: Workforce implications could include loss of jobs, so the report suggests government agencies boost efforts to improve training and reskilling so workers to be "more competitive in an AI-driven economy." Privacy concerns include the fact that AI depends on algorithms that depend on troves personal data. The feds should review privacy laws and perhaps update them for the era of AI. Biased data poses a big problem for AI's efficacy and, sometimes, safety. Agencies "should ensure the algorithms supporting these systems are accountable and inspectable." Malicious use of AI is an emerging concern, with its potential to vastly increase the scope and risk of cyberattacks. Government should take more proactive steps to know how AI "could be used to harm individuals and society, and prepare for how to mitigate these harms." WHAT IS THE IMPACT The House report about AI is not strictly about healthcare, but each of those four concerns have potential direct impacts across the industry, from lost jobs for radiologists to patient safety concerns. The study offers an exploration about those challenges, but also the opportunities presented by AI, and gives recommendations for how the government can combat them and capitalize on them, respectively. Increased funding for various government agencies will be a big way of accomplishing both goals. The United States "has traditionally led the world in the development and application of AI-driven technologies," they said. "This is due in part to the government’s prior commitment to investing heavily in research and development that has, in turn, helped support AI’s growth and development. In 2015, for example, the United States led the world in total gross domestic R&D expenditures, spending $497 billion. But U.S. leadership in AI is "no longer guaranteed," said Hurd and Kelly. "To maintain American leadership there is a need for increased funding for R&D at agencies like the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, Intelligence Advanced Research Project Agency, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Homeland Security, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration." ON THE RECORD "AI has the potential to disrupt every sector of society in both anticipated and unanticipated ways," according to the report. "In light of that potential for disruption, it’s critical that the federal government address the different challenges posed by AI, including its current and future applications." THE BIGGER TREND Government agencies are increasingly cognizant of the rise of AI, in healthcare and beyond, and their need to get in front of it to properly harness its evolution, deployment and safety. For all the risks it carries, there are also huge benefits to be had when it's properly deployed. That's why, among other examples, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration early this year voiced its qualified support for AI in healthcare, and promised to refine its regulatory approach for the new era, with initiatives such an FDA-supported tech incubator for AI innovation and a new machine learning partnership with Harvard. "We’re implementing a new approach to the review of artificial intelligence," said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD. "AI holds enormous promise for the future of medicine, and we’re actively developing a new regulatory framework to promote innovation in this space and support the use of AI-based technologies." Twitter: @MikeMiliardHITN Email the writer: mike.miliard@himssmedia.com

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Iomed Medical Solution CEO Javier de Oca is in the business of generating data specific databases for health systems and believes the time is now to see that data translate into better patient outcomes and sustainable systems for providers.

HIMSS Chief Technology and Innovation Officer Steve Wretling says developers need to build the experience healthcare hasn’t had yet.

CareCloud and Google on Tuesday announced that CareCloud is joining the Google Cloud Technology Partner Program. CareCloud said it will use Google’s Healthcare API to extend its interoperability, patient experience, and practice management services to ambulatory customers. In a steady stream of developments, Google and rivals Amazon Web Services, IBM and Microsoft are gearing up next-generation cloud offerings and research firm Black Book predicted recently that 30 percent of practices will replace their electronic health record within three years and the majority of those are investigating cloud options. CareCloud Chief Technology Officer Josh Siegel explained that aligning with Google enables the company to bring economies of scale to providers for addressing problems unique to ambulatory medicine, even those physician groups aligned with an ACO of clinically integrated network, in a way it otherwise could not. "We are both focused on interoperability and machine learning to improve clinical quality and practice efficiency," Siegel said. "We at CareCloud believe this will add unique perspective that can be combined with the work Google is doing with research hospitals and health systems to bring these new capabilities to the hands of providers." Google Cloud, for instance, joined the National Institutes of Health Science and Technology Research Infrastructure for Discovery, or STRIDES Initiative, in July to help NIH unlock large biomedical datasets for researchers. That announcement came during the same week that former Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove, MD, joined Google Cloud as an advisor to the health and life sciences team. Twitter: SullyHIT Email the writer: tom.sullivan@himssmedia.com

Microsoft and Vision Australia unveiled a new 3D audio app designed to give blind and vision impaired people greater independence to explore the world around them. Dubbed Soundscape, the software enables users to set audio beacons at destinations and landmarks, and through a stereo headset the 3D audio is perceived as coming from the point of interest as they walk, allowing them to build a mental image of what’s around from the acoustic environment. The app also calls out roads, intersections and landmarks, and was designed to be used in addition to mobility aids such as guide dogs and canes. For David Woodbridge, Access Technology Advisor at Vision Australia, the app helps him to create a mental map of his surroundings. “Soundscape gives me confidence in an outside environment by helping me understand what’s around me – whether it’s a restaurant, café, railway station, walking [or] bike track, park, business or even a street name. It allows me to build a mental map of my neighbourhood,” Woodbridge said. The app provides more sensory information than traditional navigation maps that give directions. “Rather than dictate what I should do, it allows me to make my own decisions based on the information it is providing, meaning I am always in control. For me, it really is about feeling stress free when I’m out and about,” Woodbridge added. “I have my own personal markers set for different locations. My local coffee shop is always a priority and the ‘coffee shop’ marker on Soundscape gets a lot of use.” Microsoft’s Artificial Intelligence and Research team has been collaborating with Vision Australia for the last six months to test and integrate use of the app into the not-for-profit’s services for people with blindness and low vision. More than one billion people live with disabilities worldwide but only one in 10 have access to assistive technologies and products. In Australia, 384,000 are blind or have low vision, with the number predicted to grow to 564,000 by 2030. This article originally appeared on Healthcare IT News Australia.

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