Artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine primarily serves as a support and automation tool, and it will not be able to replace doctors, stated Agnis and Valts Yakubovich, leaders of the AI solutions developer “Apply,” in an interview with the LETA agency.
According to them, AI is capable of significantly increasing the speed and accuracy of work; however, decision-making in healthcare will remain the responsibility of humans.
“I do not believe that artificial intelligence will replace humans. Currently, in Europe, it is not allowed to make a diagnosis or draw a conclusion without the involvement of a doctor — at least not for such AI systems. The decision must always be justified and explained by a human. I admit that this may change over time, but not now. Under today’s conditions, I would rather say that AI for doctors is primarily a tool for automation that helps them perform their work faster and better,” noted Agnis Yakubovich.
According to the leaders of “Apply,” the attitude towards AI in society and among professionals remains ambiguous.
“Some specialists believe that we must keep up with the times, but there are also those who do not believe in it and are even afraid. So I would say that we are currently in a moment of transformation,” said Agnis Yakubovich.
In the company, the role of AI in medicine is compared to a tool that increases efficiency but does not replace humans. “I have a trivial example about repair and attaching drywall to a wall. We no longer do this with a regular screwdriver because an electric one has made us more productive,” provided Agnis Yakubovich, emphasizing that similarly, AI helps doctors perform their duties faster and more accurately.
The company also noted that AI is capable of processing vast amounts of information; however, it cannot determine human needs or create important medical innovations on its own.
“Yes, it may surpass us in terms of knowledge volume, but I do not believe it will understand what we want to achieve and what our current needs are,” stated “Apply,” characterizing AI as “a super screwdriver or a very powerful calculator.”
The company also shared that in the healthcare sector, “Apply” has developed several specialized AI solutions. Among them is the “Sinapse” system, which helps radiologists quickly identify potential ischemic strokes based on CT scan results and is currently undergoing testing at the Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital. Additionally, the company is developing the “Aitomic” project, which aims to predict the effectiveness of immunotherapy in patients with progressive lung cancer by analyzing the physical characteristics of tumor tissues and clinical data. The “Psylo” solution is designed for triaging psychiatric patients, helping to timely identify high-risk cases and make decisions about the urgency of treatment.
