The Robot Will See You Now: AI Doctor App Takes Next Step

Babylon Health app aims to help machines and medics co-operate, not compete.

Regardless of location, political system, or government oversight, healthcare systems around the world are in a state of crisis. The US is deeply entrenched in a political give-and-take during which everyday citizens’ healthcare costs are the gambling chips. The UK is facing an overburdened NHS system, and even India is under intense public scrutiny for a new universal identification system that will be required in order to receive health coverage.

Data gathering and analysis key for the development of accurate AI health app technology.

One firm in the UK is already at work on a potential option to reduce the work and wait of seeing a medical professional. Babylon Health app-based care not only lets users visit with a doctor in real-time, but the latest round of fundraising is helping the company develop AI interface to handle the dirty work of triaging patients and assessing care options.

According to a statement from Dr. Ali Parsa, founder and CEO of Babylon, “Cutting edge artificial intelligence together with ever increasing advances in medicine means that the promise of global good health is nearer than most people realize. Babylon scientists predict that we will shortly be able to diagnose and foresee personal health issues better than doctors, but this is about machines and medics co-operating not competing.

“Doctors do a lot more than diagnosis: artificial intelligence will be a tool that will allow doctors and health care professionals to become more accessible and affordable for everyone on earth. It will allow them to focus on the things that humans will be best at for a long time to come.”

While the entire concept reads like a Star Trek-esque attempt at technology replacing humans, it’s important to note Dr. Parsa’s forward projections. The current work on developing the necessary AI capabilities is a future-facing concept that is a long way off, but the data gathering and analysis taking place now will be important for the development of accurate technology.