Over the past decade, the growth of computational power has led to a massive increase in the amount and granularity of stored digital medical and healthcare data. The ability of AI to quickly analyze large volumes of this data and create meaningful – and actionable – insights will have profound effects on how healthcare is delivered and received.

“Information in medicine is expanding at a pace at which the human mind cannot keep it in one single view or frame, so we do need the power of machines to support us,” says Dr. Vaidya.

“Today we have computers which can bring data together, mine it and identify patterns. We use algorithms that are able to identify infections, or those patients who are going to have cardiac arrests.”

Another great promise of AI is in its ability to bring new efficiencies to hospital workflows including planning, procedure times or selecting the right exam for the right patient, which will enhance care delivery and reduce treatment costs².

The ability of AI to sift through large amounts of data can help hospital administrators optimize performance and improve the use of existing resources, generating time and cost savings. This could vastly increase overall hospital productivity.

As much as Dr. Vaidya sees potential for AI in healthcare, he believes that any application of AI has to start with a proper understanding of clinical and hospital workflows. AI should simplify and speed up workflows, supporting the needs of the healthcare provider.

“Rather than replacing human clinical judgement, artificial intelligence will augment the clinical acumen to scales that we may not imagine today,” says Dr. Vaidya.  “It is the hybrid, the human and the machine together, that is the most powerful.”

“It is no different than any other field where pieces of information have come together to produce a jigsaw. We are going to evaluate [artificial intelligence] like everything else. We let the technology proceed, we see what advances it brings.”