A Primer into the Current State of Artificial Intelligence in Gastroenterology

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is not a new idea or field of research. However, recent advancements in computing technology as well as increasing worldwide experience in applying AI to various fields have enabled us to hope that applying it to the medical practice could improve outcomes. The aim of the article was to evaluate potential applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in the clinical practice of gastroenterology. AI algorithms can offer many benefits over the traditional diagnostic, prognostic, therapeutic scores, or non-AI enhanced procedures that we perform today. It can very easily process complex mathematical data, which would allow to account for many parameters and with highly sophisticated formulas to determine a conclusion, to a degree that would be impractical or impossible for a human to do alone in the clinical practice. This could allow for significantly more individualized treatments for each patient. As more data becomes available, it can be fed into the algorithm, which allows it to change based on the new data. However, we must be aware that most studies performed today are still early retrospective studies, and their utility still needs to be evaluated in future large scale prospective studies. Apart from the medical challenges, it must be noted that the impact of large-scale implementation of artificial intelligence will have challenges related to ethical and financial aspects as well.