Abstract and Introduction
Introduction
On March 29, 2023, Elon Musk and other tech leaders issued a letter calling for a pause on the "dangerous race" to make artificial intelligence (AI) as advanced as human intelligence. While AI is not new, perceptions and misconceptions are being accelerated thanks to ChatGPT, which has thrust AI into the mainstream spotlight, bringing accessibility, excitement and, in some cases, fear to all kinds of industries.
Two points are worth noting in terms of this letter that generated worldwide attention.
First, dialogue from influential leaders like Musk is concerning because it begins to generalize AI as one thing when the distinction between generative AI, ChatGPT, is significantly different from healthcare AI, which has been on a fundamentally different trajectory for some time. Second, the human versus AI debate is the wrong discussion about AI's value – especially in healthcare. With the massive challenges facing health systems today, hospitals must work smarter, not just harder, and AI provides that opportunity.
While AI should not be viewed as a savior for healthcare, it is one of the few technologies that helps health systems directly address financial, performance, and resource limitations on day one. For example, a study from Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, found clinical AI aiding a reduction in inpatient length of stay (LOS) of 11.9% for patients with intracranial hemorrhage and a 26.3% LOS reduction for those with pulmonary embolism.[1]
Appl Radiol. 2023;52(3):34-35. © 2023 Anderson Publishing, Ltd.
