When you are in a whirlpool you can't see the form of the beast and you only experience the local effect. AI is an information whirlpool drawing us ever more rapidly into a vortex whose ultimate consequence is unknown.
The concept of the "information singularity" is associated with the futurist Ray Kurzweil. In "The Singularity Is Near," published in 2005 Kurzweil discussed the idea of a point in the future where technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, leading to profound changes in human civilization due to advancements in artificial intelligence and information technology.
We are entering that singularity now. Decades ago, I was with HP during the time when the cutting edge of technology was IBM and HP. I was part of the team that brought laser printing to the world. At that time, when we talked about the future, we said that what was in the HP labs would be our products in 5 to 10 years. Today, even though the magic of AI seems robust, we know that the next generation, now in the labs, is only months away. When compute and memory capacity became infinite, for all practical purposes, we were sucked into the singularity. Can we understand the changes coming for us?
People nearly always predict that they can accomplish more in the short term than they can, but badly underestimate what they can do in the long term. An example I find interesting is the Wright Flyer which first flew in 1903. The first flight of the 747 was in 1969. The wingspan of the 747 was longer than that first flight. No one could have predicted that much advancement in only 66 years.
With the birth of effective AI, the doubling time of medical knowledge has accelerated to less than a year. What are some of the changes likely to come from this for our patient community?
In the transplant arena, we will see humanized pig organs becoming available for transplant. They will be loaded with a patients own immune system and rejection drugs will no longer be needed.
Automated machines will create therapeutic molecules designed by AI systems that will be tailored to an individual patient.
Wearable and implantable sensors will monitor many more body functions and chemistries with personalized AI systems analyzing health on a continuous basis.
We anticipate significant improvements in the early detection and screening of steatotic liver disease. One of the most promising developments is likely to be the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms in medical imaging analysis.
The emergence of novel bio-markers for steatotic liver disease will be a robust area. Research into metabolomics and proteomics is likely to yield new blood-based markers that can detect early-stage liver fat accumulation with higher sensitivity and specificity than current tests.
The diagnosis of steatotic liver disease is expected to become more precise and less invasive, with ongoing research into non-invasive diagnostic techniques likely to yield significant advancements.
The integration of multi-omics data (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics) with clinical information and advanced analytics will enable more personalized and accurate diagnosis. Clinicians will have access to comprehensive diagnostic tools that will not only confirm the presence of steatotic liver disease but also predict its likely progression and optimal treatment approaches for each patient.
In the realm of pharmacotherapy, several promising drug candidates targeting various pathways involved in liver fat accumulation and inflammation are currently in clinical trials. We will see the approval of multiple new medications specifically designed to treat steatotic liver disease.
Microbiome-based interventions will play a larger role in treatment. Research into the gut-liver axis is revealing the important role of the intestinal microbiome in liver health. This will lead to the development of probiotic or prebiotic therapies specifically designed to promote a healthy liver microbiome and reduce liver fat accumulation.
These are exciting prospects but are undoubtedly just a glimpse. I'm not imaginative enough to envision the changes that will actually happen. The pace of change will only be constrained by our regulatory systems. How we adapt and adopt the changes in ways that are fair and benefit society as a whole will be the challenge.
Finding local resources is often a challenge for patients. We are developing a tool to help with that. Would you take a few minutes and examine our proposed tool for locating local services? Just click on the link below: enter your local zip-code in the form: explore how the services available to you in your area are shown: and take the short survey. The elements above the zip code function are under development so don't comment on those just yet.
The Wellness League Local Search Tool
I will really appreciate it if you take this few minutes to give us feedback. As patients ourselves, how to live in the best way possible while dealing with illness is important. Your opinion matters.
We will be closing our annual State of Care survey for 2024 soon. With this study we seek to learn how patients experience liver disease beyond the clinical. Did you get enough information from your doctor for example. If you haven't taken the survey I invite you to do so. Add your voice to our efforts to improve the experiece patients actually have.
