Artificial intelligence could soon become a new weapon in the battle against cancer, although doctors have ethical questions about its use.
Artificial intelligence gives computers the ability to perform tasks that would normally require human processing. The technology is already used in smartphones, sorting mail for the U.S. Postal Service, and in over 90 percent of financial transactions on Wall Street.
Large companies are investing more than ever before in the technology. Google paid $400 million last year for DeepMind, a British startup that specializes in artificial intelligence. And IBM’s “Watson,” a supercomputer that beat two Jeopardy champions in 2011, is being refined in the medical field.
Researchers and oncologists at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center are programming Watson to diagnose cancer by “reading” information about the patient, medical research and potential treatments. The process could lead to an instant diagnosis, according to Dr. Mark G. Kris, a cancer specialist leading the research.
But some medical professionals worry the technology could lead to errors. Many symptoms are applicable to more than one illness, which could lead to confusion in the diagnosis, said Dr. Robert Wachter of the medical school at the University of California, San Francisco.
The technology could also desensitize doctors to alerts, Wachter said. He pointed to a time that doctors and pharmacists ignored a warning that a patient had taken 39 times the appropriate amount of antibiotics.
“The question is, are the people still engaged or are they now asleep at the switch because the computers are so good?” he said.
Warm up questions
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What is Artificial Intelligence?
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Do you use any forms of A.I. in your daily life?
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How are “smart” computers different than the human brain?
Critical thinking questions
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In what ways does A.I. benefit society?
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What other types of procedures do you think A.I. could eventually help?
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What disadvantages might result from overdependence on A.I.?
