I have found the one use of AI that no one can argue with: diagnosing sick dogs

pcgamer.com:

AI has been a bit of a contentious topic as of late. Not the AI that powers NPC movements in games but the stuff behind the LLMs driving chatbots, making generative imagery, and creating websites. Though concerns still exist, a team of researchers at the University of Cambridge has shown off the ability to diagnose heart murmurs in dogs, and I think that's just neat.

As shared in the Nvidia developer blog, a study used models that «were trained using PyTorch and Nvidia CUDA on Nvidia GeForce 10 Series GPUs, enabling efficient data processing.» The machine-learning algorithm 'listened' to digital heartbeat data and used signs of heart murmurs and heart disease to diagnose them.

In any grade of murmur (which is to say any intensity) the algorithm managed to detect murmurs at a rate of 87.9%, exactly matching a cardiologist's grade in 57% of recordings.

As the study states, «the model is a promising tool to enable accurate, low-cost screening in primary care.»

This is a great potential use-case for AI, as it will not only be cheaper for a pet owner to have their pet scanned but it could be more efficient and easily accessible. Instead of booking time in with a vet specifically, you could have someone trained with the machine simply scan your dog and let you on your way. This could free up time for qualified vets to work on different procedures.

However, there is one concern worth analysing here, and one the researchers are likely aware of when going into this study. Just a few months ago, a study claimed up to 20% of local doctors in the UK could be using generative AI tools.

There's not inherently a problem with AI being used to create calendars or even draft letters but it's important to note that AI can't reason as humans do. It can approximate reasoning by synthesising information but a human being is needed to get over that last hurdle that is understanding.

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