The role of AI in the future of health care

American physician and surgeon William J. Mayo, one of the founders of the famed Mayo Clinic, stated, "The aim of medicine is to prevent disease and prolong life, the ideal of medicine is to eliminate the need of a physician." Emerging applications of artificial intelligence (AI), as well as medical research trends, suggests that we are moving toward fulfilling medicine's aim and achieving its ideal. Health care organizations appear to be preparing themselves for the next technological step. For instance, in 2014 health care providers spent 4.2 percent of their revenues on IT, compared to a 3.3 percent cross-industry average. Penetration of electronic health care records grew from 40 percent in 2012 to 67 percent in 2017. With its wealth of smart machines, health care is expected to be among the fastest growing industries in terms of data generated.