Sorting out AI, ML, DL, and NLP

The alphabet soup of acronyms in the world Artificial Intelligence. What are they? What do they mean? What is the difference between them? This is our ongoing reporting on AI and how it is being integrated into healthcare technology. We are seeking out the thought leaders and innovations that are moving the needle forward using artificial intelligence. Read more posts on Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare.

Follow the hashtag #AIinHealthcare.

Listen

From Harlow on Healthcare, host David Harlow sits down with Cam Deemer, President of DrFirst, to discuss medication history as a core element of interoperability, and breaking down data silos in healthcare and leveraging AI to improve patient care.

In the News

RSIP Vision Introduces an Innovative Set of AI Modules for Enhanced Medical Ultrasound Applications
RSIP Vision (@RSIPvision), an artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision technology company, announced a new set of AI-based medical ultrasound modules. These advanced modules will serve as AI-based building blocks for a variety of applications, ranging from automated diagnosis, measurement, and volume estimation, to advanced procedure planning and in-op guided tracking.

Empatica and BARDA Join Forces to Validate Wearable System That Detects COVID-19 Before Symptoms Appear
Digital healthcare company Empatica (@empatica) announces a pioneering new partnership with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of HHS, to validate an early warning system for COVID-19 and other respiratory infections using its wearable sensors and proprietary algorithm. The system, named Aura, is completely noninvasive, utilizing Empatica’s medical smartwatches, software, and artificial intelligence capabilities. Aura will enable continuous and real-time insight into the likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 infection before symptoms present, and send a warning to the user and their healthcare provider.

Alegeus Smart Account Mobile App a Game Changer for Health Benefits Industry
Alegeus (@Alegeus), a consumer-directed healthcare (CDH) solutions company, shared client feedback on its innovative, market-first Smart Account Mobile App. The offering, which was first unveiled at the company’s 2019 Client Conference, leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technology to deliver personalized healthcare spending and savings guidance for consumers.

Accuray Launches New CyberKnife® S7™ System
Accuray Incorporated (@Accuray) announced the company has launched the CyberKnife® S7™ System, an innovative device combining speed, advanced precision, and real-time artificial intelligence (AI)-driven motion tracking and synchronization treatment delivery for all stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) treatments — in as little as 15 minutes. The CyberKnife S7 System is the next-generation CyberKnife platform, a robotic, non-invasive radiation therapy device capable of treating cancerous and benign tumors throughout the body, as well as neurologic disorders.

Terramera Leads Collaborative Effort to Predict New COVID-19 Virus Strains With Machine Learning and AI
Few would expect the science behind stopping the next wave of COVID-19 to come from an AgTech company on a mission to reduce global pesticide loads but Terramera’s computational chemistry, machine learning and artificial intelligence (ML/AI) innovations are being called upon for just that purpose. Terramera (@terramera) announced its leadership of a collaborative project within Canada’s Digital Technology Supercluster to predict COVID-19 virus variations before they emerge.

Anthem, Inc. Leads Collaboration to Develop Tools to Help Public Officials and Businesses Make Informed Decisions Related to COVID-19
Anthem, Inc. (@AnthemInc) introduced a suite of digital tools that provide in-depth, trusted, and aggregated information for multiple stakeholders to use in making informed, data-driven decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Led by Anthem, Inc.’s new C19 Explorer and C19 Navigator, these decision support tools are also designed to assist public health officials and business leaders as they plan for re-opening and return-to-workplace. This work is part of Anthem’s best-in-class data scientists and clinicians collaborating with a global alliance of leaders, such as TM, CloudMedx, xy.ai, and doc.ai.

A Whole New Microscopic World: ARUP/Techcyte Publish First Peer-Reviewed Study on AI-based Protozoa Detection
ARUP Laboratories (@ARUPLabs), a national reference laboratory and worldwide leader in innovative laboratory research and development, and Techcyte, a leading developer of artificial intelligence (AI)-based image analysis solutions for the diagnostics industry, published a study in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology on their groundbreaking AI-augmented ova and parasite detection tool.

Five Companies Applying Artificial Intelligence to Patient Engagement Issues Named IDC Innovators
International Data Corporation (IDC) (@IDC) published an IDC Innovators report profiling five companies that are applying artificial intelligence (AI) to patient engagement in healthcare. The five companies are: Cogitativo, Integra Connect, Jvion, LifeLink, and Medial EarlySign.

Loyal Healthcare Chatbot Helps Hospitals Assess COVID-19 Risk, Triage Support for Thousands
More than 20 hospitals and health systems across the country have increased patients’ access to reliable, timely COVID-19 information, thanks to a digital assistant named Guide, which is powered by Loyal (@loyalhealth). The artificial intelligence (AI) healthcare chatbot and live chat solution takes patients through a step-by-step assessment by gathering feedback about their symptoms and risk factors, then provides a recommendation for care. Guide also allows patients to type in questions they may have about COVID-19 and directs them to appropriate resources.

AireHealth Inc. Announces Merger Agreement with BreathResearch
In a strategic move to further revolutionize care for the more than 100 million patients with chronic respiratory diseases and deliver the industry’s first virtual care platform for respiratory illness, AireHealth Inc. (@AireHealth) announced it has reached a merger agreement with BreathResearch, a respiratory healthcare company that detects increasing declines in respiratory health status. AireHealth adds to its capabilities all of BreathResearch’s assets including employees, intellectual property, research, published works, and patents related to respiratory drug delivery, medication adherence, and analysis of breathing sounds using machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI).

To Read

To Follow

The Basics and Resources

From the leading text book around the world, Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach.

Artificial Intelligence is composed of six different disciplines:

  1. Natural Language Processing to enable it to communicate successfully in English
  2. Knowledge Representation to store what it knows or hears
  3. Automated Reasoning to use the stored information to answer questions and to draw new conclusions
  4. Machine Learning to adapt to new circumstances and to detect and extrapolate patterns
  5. Computer Vision to perceive objects
  6. Robotics to manipulate objects and move about

To build a generally intelligent agent, you need machine learning in addition to the other aspects mentioned above.

Machine Learning is roughly the science of prediction. Given certain knowns (features), you wish to predict some unknowns (targets). The unknown could be structured (e.g. numeric) or unstructured (e.g. a string response).

Deep Learning is a sub field of machine learning where concepts are learned hierarchically. The simplest concepts emerge first, followed by more complicated concepts that build on the simpler ones. Usually, this leads to a simple layered hierarchy of concepts.

Optum Resource Library

Natural Language Processing: AI with an ROI
Health care providers need to see a return on any analytic investment they make. Natural language processing (NLP) is one way AI can help providers convert the potential within their health data into quality improvement and cost savings. Natural language processing is an AI technology that actually makes sense for health care.

IBM Analytics

Navigating the A.I. and Cognitive Maze – If you work in the area of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cognitive Computing, you might use buzz words and phrases which to others might be perceived as confusing jargon. This article attempts to explain what these terms mean, how they relate to one other and where they all fit along the AI and cognitive time continuum. I include a glossary of my top 20 useful AI/cognitive terms — and advice on getting started on your AI/cognitive journey.