Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare

Project Description: This project was sponsored by Sheffield Engineering Leadership Academy (SELA) and was facilitated through the partnerships and industry leaders within SELA’s network. This project worked with doctors and NHSx leaders to understand the barriers to adopting Artificial Intelligence within the National Health Service in The United Kingdom.

Project Overview: This project first began by seeking current artificial intelligence systems being used in a healthcare setting and conceptualizing the impact of using such systems. This revealed a great deal of questions including the ethics, the funding to develop such systems, how to get healthcare provider’s support for such systems, how to get the general public to understand and trust such systems, the technological demand to maintain these systems, planned obsolescence, bias data sets, access to data sets, storage of data sets and many other questions.

This project then took on a new form as time went on, after realizing that this issue has complex issues surrounding it that surpasses just a technological barrier. Additionally, after conversations with the general public it was discovered that many people lack an understanding on what artificial intelligence is and are clouded with a negative judgment. Furthermore, healthcare providers seemed to have a general preference for traditional methods and are worrisome on finding the time to learn a new system if need be, this then uncovered the recurring topic of the demand currently plaguing the National Health Service. Although many people seem optimistic, generic education surrounding this topic would demystify many concerns with the aim of not only supporting research and innovation using artificial intelligence within the National Health Service but also the general “buy-in” factor needed from both providers and the general public.