TL;DR:
- Google Cloud is partnering with Mayo Clinic to expand the use of generative AI in healthcare.
- Mayo Clinic is testing Enterprise Search on Generative AI App Builder, allowing medical professionals to quickly access patient information.
- The tool enables efficient interpretation of medical data, even when stored in different formats and locations.
- Mayo Clinic will explore various use cases for the search tool to streamline administrative tasks and prevent physician burnout.
- Google is prioritizing safety and privacy by limiting the initial rollout to select early adopters like Mayo Clinic.
- The partnership showcases the potential of generative AI in transforming healthcare.
Main AI News:
Google’s cloud business is making strides in the healthcare sector by incorporating cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. This collaboration aims to provide medical professionals at Mayo Clinic with enhanced capabilities to swiftly access patient information using state-of-the-art tools, similar to those powering the latest chatbots.
In a recent announcement, Google Cloud revealed that Mayo Clinic is currently testing a groundbreaking service called Enterprise Search on Generative AI App Builder, which was unveiled just a day prior. This innovative tool empowers clients to develop their own chatbots, leveraging Google’s advanced technology to efficiently sift through vast amounts of diverse internal data.
In the realm of healthcare, this development enables healthcare workers to rapidly interpret critical data such as a patient’s medical history, imaging records, genomics, or lab results. Even if this information is scattered across different formats and locations, medical professionals can now extract relevant insights swiftly and effortlessly using a simple query. Mayo Clinic, a prominent healthcare institution with numerous facilities across the United States, is an early adopter of this technology, as Google strives to revolutionize the implementation of generative AI within the medical system.
Over the next few months, Mayo Clinic will explore various use cases for this powerful search tool. Vish Anantraman, the Chief Technology Officer at Mayo Clinic, expressed his enthusiasm, stating that it has already proven to be immensely valuable in assisting clinicians with time-consuming administrative tasks, which often contribute to burnout.
For instance, when a physician needs to access information about a specific cohort of female patients aged 45 through 55, including their mammograms and medical charts, they can simply input the query into the search tool instead of manually retrieving each element separately. Similarly, if a physician needs to identify clinical trials that match a patient’s profile, they can effortlessly search for that information as well.
In an interview with CNBC, Anantraman emphasized the positive impact of this tool, stating, “It’s going to save a lot of time, it’s going to prevent physician burnout, it’s going to reduce administrative overload.”
Since late 2022, generative AI has been at the forefront of technological advancements, particularly after Microsoft-backed OpenAI released its widely discussed chatbot, ChatGPT. Google has been racing to catch up, launching its own AI chat service, Bard AI, earlier this year, and aiming to embed this cutting-edge technology into as many products as possible. The healthcare industry poses unique challenges due to its stringent requirements for accuracy and the avoidance of fabricated information or erroneous responses from AI models.
Aashima Gupta, Global Director of Healthcare Strategy and Solutions at Google Cloud, emphasized that Google is prioritizing safety over speed with its Enterprise Search tool. As a result, the company has limited its initial rollout to select early adopters, such as Mayo Clinic, rather than a broad-scale release.
Gupta further stated in the CNBC interview, “We want to be very thoughtful and responsible in how we leverage such a powerful tool like generative AI in an enterprise setting, especially in healthcare.”
Google ensures customer data privacy by maintaining a meticulous approach, and the new service is fully compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Mayo Clinic has taken significant measures to ensure the privacy and security of patient data. They have established “safe sandboxes” for workers to test the applications of this technology and identify the areas where it can be of the utmost assistance.
Anantraman emphasized their commitment to patient data privacy, stating, “We take the privacy of patient data very, very seriously, and our patients’ needs come first. That’s one of the reasons why healthcare, as an industry, must exercise caution when adopting technology that may not be fully tested or vetted.”
Google Cloud and Mayo Clinic initiated a 10-year partnership in 2019, with Mayo Clinic selecting Google Cloud as the cornerstone of its digital transformation. This recent partnership announcement marks the first step in an expanded agreement between the two organizations as they collaborate further on implementing AI applications in the field of healthcare.
Conclusion:
The collaboration between Google Cloud and Mayo Clinic to leverage generative AI in healthcare represents a significant step forward for the market. By enabling medical professionals to swiftly access and interpret patient information, this innovative tool has the potential to streamline healthcare workflows, reduce administrative burdens, and enhance patient care. As more organizations adopt similar AI-powered solutions, the market for generative AI in healthcare is expected to witness substantial growth, with a focus on safety, privacy, and improved efficiency in delivering healthcare services.
