Free AI-powered primary-care physician for every Indian

Source: The post free AI-powered primary-care physician for every Indian has been created, based on the article “Health care using AI is bold, but much caution first” published in “The Hindu” on 13th August 2024

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 3 – Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.

Context: The article discusses the ambitious plan of providing a “free AI-powered primary-care physician for every Indian, available 24/7” in the next five years. It questions the feasibility, sustainability, and readiness of India to implement such a large-scale initiative. It also highlights the challenges like data privacy, infrastructure costs, and the limitations of AI in replicating human empathy and understanding in healthcare.

For detailed information on Generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) read this article here

What Are the Potential Challenges with AI in Primary Health Care?

1. Impersonal Care: AI lacks empathy and personal understanding, making patients passive recipients of care. Health care requires human-centric approaches, which AI cannot provide.
2. Lack of Human Intelligence: AI is good at automating tasks but cannot match human intelligence in areas like reasoning, memory, and ethical decision-making. This is crucial in diagnosing complex health conditions.
3. Data Collection Challenges: AI models need vast personal data to improve accuracy, which conflicts with privacy concerns. For example, using Naegele’s rule, with only 4% accuracy, shows how limited data leads to poor predictions.
4. High Costs: Establishing data infrastructure and maintaining AI models demands significant investments. Additionally, continuous updates are necessary due to changes in health trends.
5. Lack of Transparency: AI’s “black box” nature, where decision-making processes are unclear, leads to mistrust. This is critical when a diagnosis or treatment plan must be understood.

What Are the Benefits of AI in Primary Health Care?

1. Efficiency in Specific Tasks: AI excels in managing hospital resources, predicting hospital kitchen supplies, and optimizing drug procurement.
2. Medical Imaging and Screening: AI’s diffusion models can help screen medical images and histopathology slides efficiently, assisting in early diagnosis.
3. Enhancing Medical Education: Large Language Models (LLMs) and Large Multimodal Models (LMMs) simulate clinical scenarios and offer personalised learning, supporting medical training.
4. Improved Access to Knowledge: AI can provide quick access to vast medical information, helping healthcare professionals stay updated.
5. Predictive Analytics: AI can predict specific patterns, for instance, in hospital resource needs, leading to better management.
6. Error Reduction: AI can potentially reduce human errors in repetitive tasks, improving overall healthcare service delivery.

Why Is AI Governance Important?

Effective governance is necessary to ensure AI is developed and used ethically, respecting patient rights and privacy. The lack of specific AI legislation in India, similar to the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act, poses a risk to implementing AI responsibly in health care settings.

Question for practice:

Examine the potential challenges and benefits of implementing AI in primary health care in India.