Can Medical AI Diagnostics Really Be Used in Real Hospitals?
I recently saw news that an AI for early lung cancer diagnosis has higher accuracy than doctors. However, the medical community still strongly insists that it should only be used as a 'support tool.' I think AI would definitely be helpful, but are issues like legal liability and data bias the main obstacles? I'd love to hear opinions from medical professionals or those in the related industry.
8 answers
I work at a hospital, and I think using AI as a diagnostic assistance tool is fine. In fact, when AI is used for reading lung cancer CT scans, it sometimes catches small nodules that doctors might miss. However, the final judgment should be made by a doctor, and it's important to recognize the limitations of AI.
Legal liability issues are really complex. The legal framework hasn't been established yet to determine who would be at fault among AI developers, hospitals, and doctors. If AI-related lawsuits increase like in the US, Korea will need to expedite regulations as well.
Medical AI is truly promising, but legal liability is a key issue. Since it's unclear who would be responsible if an AI misdiagnoses, many hospitals hesitate to adopt it. Data bias is also a problem—if AI is trained on data skewed toward specific races or age groups, it could actually deepen inequality.
Medical AI is technically excellent, but ethical issues must also be considered. There is a possibility of collecting data without patient consent or AI discriminating against certain groups, so social consensus seems necessary before implementation.
I see it positively. In fields like radiology, such as ultrasound or MRI, AI already often analyzes images faster and more accurately than doctors. Legal issues will be resolved over time, and I believe providing better care to patients should be the priority.
Even if medical AI has high accuracy, there are various variables in actual clinical practice. It needs to comprehensively consider the patient's medical history and symptoms, but AI still falls short in that regard. Using it as an辅助 tool seems like a wise choice.
As a patient who has experienced AI-based diagnosis, I found it more trustworthy when the doctor explained the results with AI as a reference. However, I realized that AI should not be considered infallible, and consultation with a doctor must go hand in hand.
Data bias is a serious issue. If an AI trained on Korean data is applied to foreign patients, the misdiagnosis rate could increase. Building training data that includes diverse population groups must come first before it can be used in actual hospitals.