VIEW - Ian Town, chief science advisor Ministry of Health, and co-chair of the expert panel that developed the rapid report ‘Capturing the benefits of AI in healthcare for Aotearoa New Zealand’ 

AI is developing at a rapid rate. For healthcare, it offers opportunities to strengthen the health system, better support healthcare professionals and improve the health of all New Zealanders.

It has the potential to make the health system more efficient, address long-standing inequities by breaking down language and cultural barriers, provide insights into the performance of our health system meaning we can act in real time rather than retrospectively. AI can also enhance our research capabilities and science advice to better inform our strategy and decision-making.

We are already seeing examples of AI being used in healthcare to improve back-office efficiency and speed up image analysis. For example, AI powered software is being used for the screening and early detection of breast cancer, and surgeons can now use 3D modelling to virtually map out a patient’s hip joint to determine the appropriate surgical intervention.

Read more here.