Artificial intelligence in Medicine

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the medical sector, offering new opportunities to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

Here are some examples of how AI is being used in this field:

• Diagnostics: AI can support the diagnosis of diseases through the analysis of radiological images and biopsies (see "Imaging Techniques" panel). Machine learning models can automatically extract anomalous parameters from images, and possibly trace them back to specific pathologies. AI can also be used to read and integrate data from laboratory tests, to help in the early diagnosis of possible diseases.
• Precision medicine: AI can analyze massive amounts of clinical, molecular and genomic data, identifying trends, correlations and patterns that would otherwise be difficult to find. This allows for a better understanding of disease pathogenesis, identifying disease subtypes, and developing targeted and personalized treatments for specific groups of patients, optimizing treatment efficacy and reducing prescription errors.
• Data management: Through AI techniques for natural language processing, relevant data can be extracted from patients’ clinical records and scientific literature. This allows for more efficient data management, improving research and innovation in the medical field. AI can thus represent a real clinical assistant that physicians can use in their daily lives to improve their decision-making abilities.
• Surgical robotics: AI-based surgical robots, controlled by expert surgeons, can perform complex procedures with precise, stable and minimally invasive movements, minimizing the risk of damage to surrounding tissues. AI also supports the decision-making process during the intervention, providing real-time information and improving the effectiveness of the operation.