7 ms·

It seems it must be a tool in a tool chain, rather than a physician replacement. Tests must be run, and follow-up questions asked. Also, computers take everythi

It seems it must be a tool in a tool chain, rather than a physician replacement. Tests must be run, and follow-up questions asked. Also, computers take everything literally, they don't say "Well, that's not what your face is telling me." or think the patient is lying, delusional, or misinformed. You can ask the patient on a scale of 1-10 of their certainty, but again, there are other problems. "What are these red dots?" Also seems non-trivial to diagnose. They can be tested, or more questions can be asked of them, but this seems like an awful lot of work to be managed by a computer alone. It's a good, or even great thing to research, but it seems far from implementation, and that's just from an engineering perspective, imagine the legislative hoops that will need to be leapt through!

sonoffett 15y ago
I could definitely see it not as a replacement for a physician, but as sort of a safeguard to check if the physician's decision regarding treatment for a particular set of symptoms matches up watson's previously learned data. Watson wouldn't preempt the physician, but rather raise an alarm if something looks out of the ordinary.
thaumaturgy 15y ago
> "What are these red dots?" Also seems non-trivial to diagnose. They can be tested, or more questions can be asked of them, but this seems like an awful lot of work to be managed by a computer alone. I don't entirely disagree with you, but I think you might be underestimating the capabilities of smart programmers, e.g., some of the stuff at the beginning of http://daniellefong.com/2010/02/11/how-law-shapes-the-business-landscape-and-a-patent-puzzle/ http://daniellefong.com/2010/02/11/how-law-shapes-the-busine... If algorithms discussed in that blog post were used in one system (even with pictures taken from an Android device possibly), and that system were to communicate results to Watson ... I can't think of a reason why that wouldn't work. Other than, y'know, patents.

sonoffett 15y ago

I could definitely see it not as a replacement for a physician, but as sort of a safeguard to check if the physician's decision regarding treatment for a particular set of symptoms matches up watson's previously learned data. Watson wouldn't preempt the physician, but rather raise an alarm if something looks out of the ordinary.

thaumaturgy 15y ago

> "What are these red dots?" Also seems non-trivial to diagnose. They can be tested, or more questions can be asked of them, but this seems like an awful lot of work to be managed by a computer alone. I don't entirely disagree with you, but I think you might be underestimating the capabilities of smart programmers, e.g., some of the stuff at the beginning of http://daniellefong.com/2010/02/11/how-law-shapes-the-business-landscape-and-a-patent-puzzle/ http://daniellefong.com/2010/02/11/how-law-shapes-the-busine... If algorithms discussed in that blog post were used in one system (even with pictures taken from an Android device possibly), and that system were to communicate results to Watson ... I can't think of a reason why that wouldn't work. Other than, y'know, patents.