Socio-economic impacts of artificial intelligence

Artificial Intelligence: can it really bring socio-economic impacts?

AI is already being used to address the challenges of an ageing population and detecting breast cancer in the US. Mammograms play a crucial role in detecting breast cancer but they also throw up false positives, such as lesions that appear suspicious. Once operated on, many such lesions turn out to be benign. With so much uncertainty in data, machine learning is the tool we need to improve detection and prevent over-treatment. In the US alone, 40,000 women dies from breast cancer every year, but when cancers are found early enough, they can often be cured. 

Summary:

• Machine learning is a vital tool to overcome uncertainty in data from diagnostic tools for breast cancer. 

Impacts

• Socio-economic: reducing healthcare costs, improving patient outcomes

Of interest to:

• Citizens, medical professionals, decision-makers in hospital and care facilities, governments.

Read more in this BBC article (17 October 2017): http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-41651839