The Evolution and Language of AI
January 22, 2024
Not sure how to define AI? No problem: AI will be happy to define itself. According to ChatGPT, the AI darling of 2023, “AI, or Artificial Intelligence, refers to computer systems that simulate human intelligence by learning from data, recognizing patterns, and making decisions. It encompasses machine learning, where algorithms evolve with experience. AI aims to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, fostering innovation across diverse fields.”1
Traditional AI uses patterns to make predictions, while generative AI refers to AI that can create new content (such as text or images) using the data it was trained on.2 The content created by generative AI looks and sounds the same as what humans produce, blurring the boundaries between nature and artifice.
Not surprisingly, a rich lexicon of terms has sprung up around AI. Here are some AI terms that are rocking the healthcare world:2
Chatbot
Defined as a computer program that simulates human conversation, a chatbot often acts as a virtual assistant to answer user questions. But that’s only the beginning. ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer), a chatbot released by OpenAI in November 2022, has the ability to give detailed, natural responses to a wide range of prompts, leading to its explosive growth throughout 2023.
Machine learning (ML)
This subfield of AI teaches computers to perform new tasks without requiring explicit programming. Thanks to machine learning, chatbots can self-improve without constant human maintenance and identify additional tasks to automate on their own.
Deep learning
This subset of ML harnesses multiple layers of networks to train algorithms using large data sets. Deep learning can understand unstructured data more effectively than traditional ML, often leading to higher-quality results.
Natural language processing (NLP)
Based on a software program’s ability to interpret written and spoken human language, NLP enables computers to understand what people are saying, including their tone and intent.
Predictive analytics
Predictive analytics is the application of AI to collect and use data to predict future trends and events. An example of predictive analytics in business is Netflix's algorithm, which can recommend additional shows and movies to watch based on a person's viewing history.
Algorithm
In the software world, “algorithm” means a set of rules followed by a computer while executing operations, enabling it to perform more sophisticated tasks without human intervention – for example, adapting responses to the user’s previous behaviour patterns.
Big data
The term refers to data sets that are too large to process using traditional computing.
Data mining
This means analyzing large databases to generate new information. Through data mining, powerful AI software can analyze big data to identify patterns and extract insights.
AI by the Numbers
Wondering where it all started with AI? The figures below highlight the AI evolution, and its potential impact on healthcare.
THEN AND NOW
Almost 7 decades: The Dartmouth Workshop, a summer gathering of scholars in 1956, is widely regarded as the birthplace of AI. It took more than 4 decades for Deep Blue, a chess-playing AI system designed by IBM, to defeat world champion Gary Kasparov in 1997. 2015 marks the foundation of Open AI, the group that released ChatGPT in 2022.3
50 years: AI in medicine goes back about five decades. In a shining example of early use, in the 1970s AI helped doctors select the right antibiotics for hospitalized patients.4
30%: Of the world’s total volume of data, approximate percentage that is generated by the healthcare industry.5
31%: Proportion of respondents to a Nature survey of postdoctoral researchers who regularly use chatbots as part of their work.6
10 million: Number of queries received by ChatGPT every day.7
AI IN CANADA
$125M: Public funding provided to the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, launched in 2017.8 The initiative made Canada the first country to launch a national AI strategy.
312: Canadian AI projects that have received government funding over the past 5 years and for which data have been made public.9
Over 50: Innovations launched since 2017 by the Data Science and Advanced Analytics team at Unity Health, the first healthcare network in Canada with a dedicated applied AI team.10
HEALTHCARE CHALLENGES THAT AI COULD HELP SOLVE
31%: Proportion of clinical trials that meet their patient enrolment goals.11
25-40%: Estimated proportion of patients who receive ineffective or potentially harmful treatments. For example, about a third of patients diagnosed and managed for asthma don’t actually have the condition.12
1.8 billion: Potential hours freed up every year by using AI in healthcare, equivalent to 500,000 additional full time health care professionals (HCPs).13 These enormous savings would allow HCPs to dedicate considerably more time to high-value, patient-focused activities.
References
Query to ChatGPT. December 3, 2023. https://chat.openai.com
45 AI terms and phrases to know: https://getzowie.com/blog/ai-dictionary
Nerkar S. A brief history of A.I. New York Times. December 5, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/12/05/business/artificial-intelligence-timeline.html?searchResultPosition=1
Butte A. Keynote presentation: precisely practicing medicine with a trillion points of data. Life Science Intelligence USA 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGViICIpvuQ
The healthcare data explosion. RBC Capital Markets. https://www.rbccm.com/en/gib/healthcare/episode/the_healthcare_data_explosion
Comment ChatGPT transforme l’expérience des postdocs. DataLama. https://datalama.ca/comment-chatgpt-transforme-lexperience-des-postdocs/
Gratas B. 50 ChatGPT Statistics and Facts You Need to Know. Invgate blog. Feb. 14, 2023. https://blog.invgate.com/chatgpt-statistics
The state of artificial intelligence research in Canada. HillNotes. March 8, 2023. https://hillnotes.ca/2023/03/08/the-state-of-artificial-intelligence-research-in-canada
McKenna A. L’IA en santé, entre conflits d’intérêts et millions de dollars perdus. Le Devoir. Nov. 16, 2023. https://www.ledevoir.com/societe/sante/802033/etude-ia-sante-entre-conflits-interet-millions-dollars-perdus
How is AI transforming health care? Unity Health’s VP of Data Science and Advanced Analytics weighs in. Unity Health Toronto. July 26, 2023. https://unityhealth.to/2023/07/ai-transforming-health-care/
Fogel DB. Factors associated with clinical trials that fail and opportunities for improving the likelihood of success: a review. Contemp Clin Trials Commun 2018;11:156.
Mamdani M. Big Ideas for Future-Proofing Health Systems, Big Idea #3: Continue to invest in and use technology and AI in healthcare. 2024 CADTH Symposium, May 18, 2024.
The socioeconomic impact of AI in healthcare. MedTech Europe. October 2020. https://www.medtecheurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/mte-ai_impact-in-healthcare_oct2020_report.pdf