AI is coming to revolutionize healthcare, but the FDA needs to speed it up

In the last several weeks, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has commented on artificial intelligence and the future of medicine. For nearly a decade, many visionaries and innovators in medicine have believed this to be the case. Finally, the FDA is getting on board by creating an internal data science incubator, called Information Exchange and Data Transformation, or INFORMED. Already this year, the FDA has approved a clinical support software that uses AI algorithms to detect changes in brain function that can alert neurologists much faster than traditional technologies. In addition, the agency also approved an AI-based tool that uses a camera to detect diabetic retinopathy -- a condition that can lead to blindness if not detected and treated early.