On the margins of The International Scientific Symposium “Diaspora Science Days 2024” organized by the University of Montenegro, we had the privilege to discuss the topic of AI application in medical care with a renowned international expert in this field – Miljan Vuletić, Head of Embedded AI Systems at Darwin Edge, Lausanne, Switzerland.
To what extent is the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare currently developed? What are the key differences between Western Europe and our region?
The applications of artificial intelligence in healthcare are rapidly developing worldwide. There is a significant interest in using these technologies in both the public and private sectors, driven by medical, economic and social reasons. In Switzerland, which is among the leading countries in the world for innovations, substantial funds are being directed toward this area by federal and cantonal funds, as well as private companies. The usage of AI is already taking the lead in certain domains, such as pharmacology, wellness, and operational management of healthcare systems. In other areas, such as diagnostics, preventive disease detection, and telemedicine, I expect a broad adoption in the next 5 to 10 years. For our region, I am not acquainted with the situation well enough, but I believe there is appropriate government and EU funding that should encourage the development of new technologies which in turn enable the transformation and use of AI in healthcare. Targeted and responsible use of these resources could compensate for any delays in introducing artificial intelligence into healthcare processes. Regional collaboration among research, healthcare institutions, and industry would certainly accelerate these developments.
What are the key areas where we apply artificial intelligence in healthcare? What are the biggest challenges in its implementation regarding everyday clinical practice? Where do you see opportunities for improvement? The key areas where I see the greatest future impact and contribution of artificial intelligence are in enhanced disease diagnostics, personalized medicine, and remote patient monitoring, i.e., telemedicine. These applications will increase and improve access to healthcare for a large portion of humanity and optimize healthcare system costs. Apart from the technical challenges, which I believe experts’ creativity can always find appropriate solutions for, we must address issues of risk and liability related to the use of new technology, ethical concerns, and data privacy issues. I see room for improvement in healthcare and medical processes, which we can certainly enhance and optimize. For example, sharing data among medical institutions to improve diagnostics or preventive measures, all while respecting privacy and protecting against misuse. Additionally, reducing the necessary resources for executing AI algorithms and transitioning from cloud solutions to edge solutions can increase autonomy and expand the presence of medical devices and aids.
What are the latest achievements in the use of artificial intelligence in medicine?
Tangible successes in the use of artificial intelligence in medicine can already be seen in the field of medical image processing and radiology. Healthcare has been significantly improved by the presence of specialized wearable devices used for alerting and predicting certain neurological conditions (for example, epileptic seizures). Finally, I see that the search and analytical power of artificial intelligence is well utilized in the pharmaceutical industry for discovering new drugs and therapies.
