Industry Watcher’s Digest

Buzzworthy developments of the past few days.

• Healthcare has an annoying habit of envying other industries over technology innovation and adoption. Never mind that other industries are looking to healthcare as a technology bar-setter par excellence. As observed by one high-level tech expert, it’s no small thing that healthcare people are constantly pursuing AI-driven innovations that benefit patients and society as a whole. “Healthcare is on the bleeding edge of generative AI, defined by a new era of precision medicine, personalized treatments, and improvements that will lead to better outcomes and quality of life,” writes John Snow Labs CTO David Talby, PhD, MBA, in commentary headlined “4 lessons healthcare can teach us about successful applications of AI.” The piece is published by no less than the influential outlet CIO.com. Read the whole thing.
   
• It’s time to update HHS’s existing Federal Health IT Strategic Plan. Can you lend a hand? If so, you have until May 28 to contribute a comment to the draft. This next version will cover the period from later this year till 2030. In a blogpost, ONC says it wants to put more emphasis than before on public health, health equity and, yes, AI. The draft as it now stands “acknowledges the swift evolution of AI and increased use in healthcare, emphasizing the urgent need for the federal government to navigate this transformative landscape both responsibly and effectively in health and healthcare,” ONC explains. More info plus a link to the document are here.
   
• Should you invest $1,000 in Nvidia right now? Investment specialists at The Motley Fool think not. Their team is out with picks for the 10 best-bet stocks to buy right now—and Nvidia didn’t make the cut. Equally intriguing is TMF’s headline for the piece: “Nvidia Is Bringing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the Healthcare Space.” Wait. Bringing? Was “the healthcare space” bereft of AI until Nvidia sized us up and pounced? See what you think.
   
• Here’s another question you may want to consider. Who should be held responsible when things go wrong with medical AI? Admittedly, this is not a new question. But it got a fresh airing-out from legal minds at a discussion hosted by the Foley Hoag law firm April 1. “An HHS proposal from 2022 would largely leave healthcare providers on the hook for verifying that AI tools work and don’t lead to discriminatory outcomes,” partner Colin Zick, JD, reminded attendees. “Physicians vehemently oppose the proposal and would like Congress to step in.” PowerPoint presentation here.
   
• More than 3 of 4 healthcare workers are convinced AI will help make up for the shortages in their ranks. Some may be wishful thinking, as almost 60% name understaffing as the biggest reason they feel burned out. The findings are from a survey taken by the health-tech company Carta Healthcare. Feelings are mixed too. Just 37% of healthcare workers said they trust healthcare AI—yet 85.3% believe AI can help improve patients’ healthcare experience. More findings plus an infographic here.
   
• China is seeing a wave of citizens wishing to re-animate their late loves ones via AI. The demand is there for both audio and video files. The Guardian reports that such experiences can be had for as little as 20 yuan (around $2.75). Some lawyers in China “argue that such content should be banned if it causes ‘mental pain’ to the relatives of the deceased,” the newspaper reports. However, China’s digital natives “are likely to experiment with digital afterlives faster than living policymakers can regulate them.” Read the rest.
   
• Every so often a worthy publisher posts a refresher on AI terminology. Some of these glossaries are more helpful than others. Here’s a basic but good one courtesy of the fine folks at Health IT Analytics.
   
• Local/regional AI news roundup:
   
  • Paramus, N.J.: “New Valley Hospital ready to welcome patients with state-of-the-art tech” (NJBiz.com)
     
  • Cranston, R.I.: “The promise and potential perils of Artificial Intelligence in healthcare” (Cranston Herald)
     
  • Iowa: “Healthcare in North Iowa aided by artificial intelligence” (Globe Gazette)
     
  • New Zealand: “Treatments tailored to you: how AI will change NZ healthcare, and what we have to get right first” (The Conversation)
     
• Recent research roundup:
   
  • Northwestern: “Ask Chat GPT about your radiation oncology treatment”
     
  • Cleveland Clinic: “Trust your doctor: Study shows human medical professionals are more reliable than AI tools”
     
  • Open University of Catalonia: “How will artificial intelligence change the future of healthcare?”
     
  • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: “New study shows LLMs respond differently based on user’s motivation”
     
  • American College of Cardiology: “Mapping Heart Health: AI Illuminates Neighborhood Impact on Well-Being”
     
• From AIin.Healthcare’s news partners:
   
  • Radiology Business: GE HealthCare finalizes acquisition of Cleveland-based provider of AI imaging-analysis software
     
  • Cardiovascular Business: FDA approves new AI model for detecting signs of heart failure with a stethoscope
     
  • Health Imaging: AI identifies signs of COVID-19 in lung ultrasound images