AI and healthcare

While its artistic merits may possibly have been overstated, one of the areas where AI (or machine learning) really comes into its own is when recognising useful patterns within the large, complex data sets that are common in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.

Just recently, according to a trial detailed in The Lancet Oncology, it was found that artificial intelligence was able to identify the initial stages of breast cancer in patient mammograms with an accuracy that matches the standard method of consultant review. Beyond the obvious benefits to patient assessment times and consultant workloads in the healthcare system, machine learning also has far-reaching implications within the pharmaceutical industry.

Ever on the cutting edge, some form of machine learning has been used by various pharmaceutical companies since at least 2015. Whether it’s designing the perfect medical trial, creating personalised treatment plans, or accelerating the discovery and development of life-saving medications, it’s clear that artificial intelligence is an incredibly powerful tool when used in conjunction with human intelligence.

There are, of course, concerns over the use of AI in such an essential area as healthcare. As the World Health Organization discusses in its 2024 paper “Benefits and risks of using artificial intelligence for pharmaceutical development and delivery”, the use of AI may raise questions over privacy of medical data, as well as the possibility that any AI system might reflect the biases of its creators. So as powerful as AI may be, it’s clear that human oversight is still required to ensure that these potential issues are avoided.

While artificial intelligence may not save us all, the possibilities it opens up are clearly not something that pharmaceutical companies can afford to ignore.

How about you? Do you have any stories of how machine learning is used in your area of the industry? How do you feel about the idea of AI being used in drug development?