2024-04-01
7 分钟The Economist Hello, it's Alok Jha here.
I host Babbage, our weekly podcast on science and technology.
Welcome to Editors' Picks.
You're about to hear an article from the latest edition of The Economist.
Enjoy.
Artificial intelligence, AI, is generating excitement and hyperbole everywhere,
but in the field of healthcare it has the potential to be transformational.
In Europe,
analysts predict that deploying AI could save hundreds of thousands of lives each year.
In America, they say, it could also save money,
shaving $200 billion to $360 billion from overall annual medical spending,
now $4.5 trillion a year, or 17% of GDP.
From smart stethoscopes and robot surgeons to the analysis of large data sets or the ability to chat to a medical AI with the human face,
opportunities abound.
There is already evidence that AI systems can enhance diagnostic accuracy and disease tracking,
improve the prediction of patients' outcomes and suggest better treatments.
It can also boost efficiency in hospitals and surgeries by taking on tasks such as medical transcription and monitoring patients and by streamlining administration.
It may already be speeding the time it takes for new drugs to reach clinical trials.
New tools, including generative AI, could supercharge these abilities.
Yet, as our technology quarterly this week shows,