Baidu is bringing AI chatbots to healthcare

Baidu has created a virtual version of "turn your head and cough." The Chinese search engine launched "Melody" on Tuesday, a chatbot that uses artificial intelligence to help doctors care for patients over text. Baidu (BIDU, Tech30) aims to make medical consults more accessible and help patients determine whether or not they should see a doctor in person. For instance, if you tell Melody your child is sick, it might ask whether she has a fever or is jaundiced and follow up with additional questions. Melody integrates with the Baidu Doctor app, which already lets patients ask doctors questions, make appointments and search for health information.