Bridging the Gap between the Technological Singularity and Mainstream Medicine: Highlighting a Course on Technology and the Future of Medicine

Abstract

The “technological singularity” is forecasted to occur in the mid-21st century and is defined as the point when machines will become smarter than humans and thus trigger the merging of humans and machines. It is hypothesized that this will have a profound influence on medicine and population health. This paper describes a new course entitled “Technology and the Future of Medicine” developed by a multi-disciplinary group of experts. The course began as a continuing medical education course and then transitioned to an accredited graduate-level course. We describe the philosophy of the course and the innovative solutions to the barriers that were encountered, with a focus on YouTube audience retention analytics. Our experience may provide a useful template for others.

<p>The Increasing Role of Artificial Intelligence in Health Care: Will Robots Replace Doctors in the Future?</p>

“…NLP focuses on collecting unstructured data or information from electronic medical records and research journals. 1 , 5 These processes are collectively used to produce clinical decisions. To process the data, AI systems commonly use algorithms based on artificial neural networks (ANN), fuzzy expert systems (FES), evolutionary calculations (EC), and hybrid intelligent systems (HIS).…”

“…Technological singularity (TS) is a hypothetical future point in time at which AI is expected to surpass human intelligence. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Ray Kurzweil predicted it would occur between the years 2040 and 2050. 5 TS in health care, in a strict sense, will imply the replacement of medical practitioners with AIenabled robots and peripheral systems.…”

“…[5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Ray Kurzweil predicted it would occur between the years 2040 and 2050. 5 TS in health care, in a strict sense, will imply the replacement of medical practitioners with AIenabled robots and peripheral systems. A futuristic example of TS in health care was shown on the American science fiction television show Star Trek Voyager (1995 to 2001), which portrayed an AI hologram of a physician who treated the spaceship's crew.…”

Lupus nephritis and Zimmerhackl’s legacy for histopathology: A milestone for clinical trials and reduction of interobserver disagreement

“…Zimmerhackl’s advocacy of transparent and reproducible histology reports came years earlier than the current classification on lupus nephritis and the advancement of precision medicine. 13 His remarkable legacy for teaching and research has been key in the profiling of numerous pediatricians, who reached the highest level of academic status in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. His devotion to patients will illuminate the paths of numerous nurses and physicians.…”

Pediatrics: An Evolving Concept for the 21st Century

“…The improvement of nutrition and treatment of rickets were also crucial and the results of these efforts during the last century have been impressive in all states consolidating the concept of pediatric healthcare in other countries, such as Canada, as well [31]. Digitalization of the imaging in radiology and pathology is a reality in several healthcare institutions worldwide [32,33]. Advances in medical diagnosis and therapy with the implementation of new technologies will be the basis for the future of pediatric healthcare, personalized pediatrics, and quality assurance and controls in the 21st century.…”