If healthcare is to be transformed by artificial intelligence, Seattle could be the place to make it happen. With a legacy of IT innovation in computing, telecom, web services, and more, coupled with unique strengths in life sciences and medical devices, the area is poised to leverage advances in computer vision, natural language processing, and machine learning. The goal is to improve quality and reduce costs across broad swaths of the healthcare system.
But before A.I. can provide predictive and personalized medicine, analyze medical images, or help reduce hospital readmission rates, it has some hurdles to clear. Hype might be the first and biggest, followed by challenges around business models, regulations, data access, and patient privacy. Which strategies are successful companies, big and small, using to bring artificial intelligence to healthcare? What is the impact and timeline for patients and doctors? And will A.I. systems enhance or replace jobs?