AI expert: Marriage of machine learning, radiology may turn out different than you think

Machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) are two hotly discussed topics in healthcare, but many radiologists tend to fear a future in which computers replace people. But the fact is that there's an overwhelming amount of misinformation and myth about how the technology will impact radiology. Eliot Siegel, MD, chief technology officer with RadSite, addressed these issues in a Feb. "It's not unusual that I'm asked by many in radiology about whether the specialty will exist in the next few years," said Siegel, the chief of imaging services at Veterans Affairs Maryland Healthcare System. Those questions are fueled partly by AI experts like Ezekiel Emanuel, an architect of the Affordable Care Act, who suggested radiologists may be replaced by computers in the next four to five years during a 2016 keynote at the American College of Radiology annual meeting, and Geoffrey Hinton, an engineering fellow at Google and emeritus professor at the University of Toronto, who compared radiologists to Wile E. Coyote--"you're already over the edge of the cliff, but you haven't yet looked down," cited Siegel in the presentation. However, Siegel notes his background in radiology and computer science provides him with a deeper understanding of the complexities in being a radiologist, and he envisions a brighter future.