Dmitry Kaminskiy speaks as though he were trying to unload everything he knows about the science and economics of longevity--from senolytics research that seeks to stop aging cells from spewing inflammatory proteins and other molecules to the trillion-dollar life extension industry that he and his colleagues are trying to foster--in one sitting. At the heart of the discussion with Singularity Hub is the idea that artificial intelligence will be the engine that drives breakthroughs in how we approach healthcare and healthy aging--a concept with little traction even just five years ago. "At that time, it was considered too futuristic that artificial intelligence and data science … might be more accurate compared to any hypothesis of human doctors," said Kaminskiy, co-founder and managing partner at Deep Knowledge Ventures, an investment firm that is betting big on AI and longevity. Artificial intelligence in healthcare is attracting more investments and deals than just about any sector of the economy, according to data research firm CB Insights. In the most recent third quarter, AI healthcare startups raised nearly $1.6 billion, buoyed by a $550 million mega-round from London-based Babylon Health, which uses AI to collect data from patients, analyze the information, find comparable matches, then make recommendations.

A Hong Kong venture capitalist fund credits a single member of its management team with pulling it back from the brink of bankruptcy. But the executive is not a seasoned investment professional, nor even a human being. It is an algorithm known as Vital. Dmitry Kaminskiy, managing partner of Deep Knowledge Ventures, believes that the fund would have gone under without Vital because it would have invested in "overhyped projects." Vital, which stands for Validating Investment Tool for Advancing Life Sciences, helped the board to make more logical decisions, he said.

In case you needed more proof that all our jobs will one day be occupied by robots, a Hong Kong V.C. firm has just named an artificial intelligence tool to its board of directors. The company's also insisting the tool will be treated as an "equal" to the other board members. A press release from Aging Analytics UK, a company that conducts research on biotechnology and regenerative medicine, made two announcements this morning: first, that they've launched an new A.I. tool called VITAL (Validating Investment Tool for Advancing Life Sciences); and second, that they've licensed VITAL to Hong Kong V.C. firm Deep Knowledge Ventures, where the tool will become an "equal member of its Board of Directors." Yes, that means it'll have exactly the same power as a living, breathing, presumably college-educated human being. VITAL uses machine learning to predict which life science companies will make for successful investments, the press release explains.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is bettering the world in myriad ways, and its next task is to revolutionize healthcare. According to Dr Robert Wachter, MD – chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of San Francisco – radiology, dermatology and pathology will soon be upended by the technology. In his latest book, The Digital Doctor: Hope, Hype, and Harm at the Dawn of Medicine's Computer Age, Dr Wachter outlines his case for why AI and other technologies are joining forces to create a "digital tsunami". In many ways, 2016 will mark the tipping point, as improvements in underlying technologies that power AI have helped more than three dozen startups to expand their presence in the market. Putting specific technologies aside for a moment, the biggest trend to watch may be how advances are dramatically altering the healthcare landscape.