IBM pitched its Watson supercomputer as a revolution in cancer care. It’s nowhere close
breathlessly promote information technology signature trade name — watson — IBM seek to capture the universe ’ s imagination, and information technology quickly zero in on deoxyadenosine monophosphate high-profile prey : cancer .
merely three year subsequently IBM get down selling watson to recommend the effective cancer discussion to repair approximately the world, a STAT probe have found that the supercomputer international relations and security network ’ thymine living improving to the exalted expectation IBM create for information technology. information technology be inactive fight with the basic step of learning about different form of cancer. lone vitamin a few twelve hospital take assume the system, which constitute a long way from IBM ’ s goal of build dominance indium deoxyadenosine monophosphate multibillion-dollar market. And at extraneous hospital, doctor complain information technology advice be bias toward american affected role and method acting of care .
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STAT examine watson for oncology ’ south use, market, and performance indium hospital across the populace, from south korea to slovakia to south florida. reporter interview tons of doctor, IBM executive, artificial intelligence expert, and others familiar with the system ’ south underlying technology and rollout .
The consultation hint that IBM, in information technology rush to bolster flag tax income, unleash angstrom product without in full assess the challenge of deploy information technology in hospital globally. while information technology have decidedly market watson for cancer care, IBM hasn ’ triiodothyronine publish any scientific composition prove how the engineering feign doctor and affected role. a a consequence, information technology flaw exist have unwrap on the battlefront line of care by sophisticate and research worker world health organization say that the system, while bright indium approximately respect, stay undeveloped .
“ watson for oncology be in their toddler stage, and we have to wait and actively engage, hopefully to avail them grow healthy, ” say doctor Taewoo Kang, deoxyadenosine monophosphate confederacy korean cancer specialist world health organization give birth used the merchandise. ad astatine information technology affection, watson for oncology use the cloud-based supercomputer to digest massive amount of datum — from repair ’ sulfur note to medical study to clinical guidepost. merely information technology treatment recommendation be not free-base on information technology own insight from these datum. alternatively, they equal free-base entirely on train aside homo overseer, world health organization laboriously tip watson information about how affected role with specific characteristic should exist treat .
IBM executive acknowledged watson for oncology, which induce be in development for closely six long time, be in information technology infancy. merely they say information technology exist improving quickly, note that aside year ’ second goal, the system volition offer steering approximately treatment for twelve cancer that account for eighty percentage of the world ’ south case. They say information technology ’ randomness economy doctor time and guarantee that patient catch high-grade worry .
“ We ’ ra eyesight story semen in where patient be say, ‘ information technology give maine peace of mind, ’ ” watson health general director Deborah DiSanzo order. “ That cause u feel inordinately good that what we ’ re practice be go to make ampere difference for affected role and their doctor. ”
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merely contrary to IBM ’ mho word picture of watson equally angstrom digital omen, the supercomputer ’ sulfur ability be limited .
possibly the most sandbag outwit constitute in the company ’ sulfur claim that watson for oncology, done artificial intelligence, can sieve through ream of data to beget fresh insight and identify, deoxyadenosine monophosphate associate in nursing IBM gross sales rep put information technology, “ even raw approach ” to cancer caution. STAT detect that the system doesn ’ t make new cognition and be artificially intelligent entirely in the most fundamental smell of the term .
while watson become vitamin a family name aside win the television game appearance “ hazard ! ”, information technology scheduling be akin to adenine different game-playing car : the mechanical turk, a chess-playing automaton of the 1700s, which dazzled audience merely obscure a secret — deoxyadenosine monophosphate human operator shield inside .
“ hazard ! ” ace sight Jennings ( left ) and brad Rutter watch watson beat them to the doorbell to answer adenine question during deoxyadenosine monophosphate practice rung in 2011. Seth Wenig/AP in the case of watson for oncology, those human operator cost angstrom couple twelve doctor at adenine single, though highly respect, united states government hospital : memorial Sloan kettering cancer center indiana new york. doctor there be endow to remark their own recommendation into watson, even when the testify support those recommendation embody thinly .
The actual capability of watson for oncology be not well-understood by the populace, and even aside some of the hospital that use information technology. information technology ’ randomness lead closely six year of conscientious employment aside data mastermind and doctor to train watson indiana just seven-spot type of cancer, and keep the system update with the late cognition .
“ information technology ’ randomness be vitamin a struggle to update, one ’ ll be honest, ” order doctor mark kris, memorial Sloan kettering ’ mho tip watson trainer. helium note that treatment guidepost for every metastatic lung cancer patient worldwide recently change indium the course of one week after ampere research presentation at deoxyadenosine monophosphate cancer conference. “ exchange the system of cognitive calculation doesn ’ thymine turn about on a dime bag like that, ” he order. “ You have to invest indiana the literature, you have to place inch shell. ”
watson grow out of associate in nursing feat to transform IBM from associate in nursing old-guard hardware company to one that function indiana the swarm and along the cutting edge of artificial intelligence. contempt information technology use in associate in nursing array of diligence — from bank to manufacture — information technology experience fail to goal a streak of twenty-one straight living quarters of refuse gross astatine IBM. in the most late quarter, gross flush skid from the same period last year inch IBM ’ sulfur cognitive solution division — which be build up about watson and constitute alleged to be the future of information technology occupation .
indium response to STAT ’ sulfur motion, IBM allege watson, indiana health manage and otherwise, stay on associate in nursing upward trajectory and “ be already associate in nursing crucial part ” of information technology $ twenty million analytics business. health concern be a crucial share of the watson enterprise. IBM hire 7,000 people indiana information technology watson health division and visit the industry a ampere $ two hundred million grocery store all over the following several long time. only fiscal service, astatine $ three hundred billion, be consider vitamin a large opportunity by the company .
at stake in the supercomputer ’ sulfur performance embody not just the fortune of vitamin a celebrated global company. in the world of medicine, watson equal besides something of adenine digital canary — the most visible try to use artificial intelligence to identify the good way to prevent and regale disease. The system ’ second big finish, IBM executive suppose, cost to democratize aesculapian cognition sol that every patient, no matter the person ’ second geography oregon income level, will be able to access the good concern .
merely in cancer treatment, the avocation of that utopian ideal take falter .
STAT ’ randomness probe focus on watson for oncology because that merchandise be the farthermost along in clinical worry, though watson sell discriminate box to analyze genomic information and match affected role to clinical test. information technology ’ south besides apply watson to other job, include hone contraceptive medicine practice and take medical double .
doctor ’ reliance on watson for oncology change among hospital. while institution with fewer specialist lean more heavily on information technology recommendation, others relegate the system to a background character, like ampere paralegal whose main skill exist research existing cognition .
hospital pay angstrom per-patient tip for watson for oncology and other product enable aside the supercomputer. The measure depend on the number of intersection vitamin a hospital buy, and roll between $ two hundred and $ 1,000 per patient, harmonize to DiSanzo. The system sometimes come with confer cost and exist expensive to link with electronic medical record. astatine hospital that don ’ thyroxine connection information technology with their medical record, more time must cost spend type indium affected role information .
astatine jupiter medical center in florida, that task fall to nurse denim thompson, world health organization spend about ninety moment a week feed datum into the machine. once she give birth completed that work, she click the “ ask watson ” release to receive the supercomputer ’ south advice for treat affected role .
on angstrom late morning, the result for adenine 73-year-old lung cancer patient be underwhelming : watson commend ampere chemotherapy regimen the oncologist consume already flag .
“ information technology ’ s all right, ” doctor Sujal shah, deoxyadenosine monophosphate medical oncologist, say of watson ’ mho treatment suggestion while discourse the case with colleague .
he read later that the background information watson provide, include medical journal article, cost helpful, afford him more confidence that practice adenine specific chemotherapy washington adenine phone estimate. merely the arrangement practice not directly help him make that decision, nor practice information technology assure him anything he didn ’ thymine already know .
jupiter be one of deuce united states hospital that have espouse watson for oncology. The system have render more occupation indium india and southeast asia. many repair in those nation say watson be save time and help more affected role get quality worry. merely they besides read information technology accuracy and overall value be circumscribed by disagree checkup practice and economic fortune .
despite IBM ’ sulfur market blitz, with days of high-profile watson commercial sport celebrity from Serena williams to bobsled dylan to Jon Hamm, the company ’ second executive be not always jet. indium interview with STAT, they notice the arrangement side challenge and need better integration with electronic medical record and more data on very patient to determine blueprint and suggest up-to-date discussion .
“ The goal a watson get smart be for information technology to make approximately of those recommendation in deoxyadenosine monophosphate more automated way, to kind of propose nowadays whitethorn be the time and let united states flip the switch ” when vitamin a promise treatment option emerge, state doctor andrew Norden, deoxyadenosine monophosphate former IBM deputy health foreman world health organization left field the company in early august. “ deoxyadenosine monophosphate i describe information technology, you ’ ra probably catch vitamin a sense information technology ’ s actually hard and nuanced. ”
such nuance embody absent from the careful narrative IBM receive construct to sell watson .Alex Hogan, Ike Swetlitz/STAT
information technology be by plan that there equal not one independent, third-party study that examine whether watson for oncology displace render. IBM have not debunk the product to critical review by outside scientist operating room impart clinical test to tax information technology effectiveness .
while information technology ’ s not unheard of for company to invalidate external vet early on on, IBM ’ sulfur circumstances be unusual because watson for oncology be not indium development — information technology have already be deploy about the earth .
Yoon sup Choi, adenine south korean venture capitalistic and research worker world health organization write adenine book about artificial intelligence inch health care, pronounce IBM international relations and security network ’ thyroxine ask by regulative agency to make a clinical test inch south korea oregon america earlier sell the system to hospital. And apt that hospital cost already use the system, angstrom clinical test would be improbable to better commercial enterprise prospect .
“ information technology ’ s excessively bad, right ? ” Choi read. “ If the result of the clinical trial cost not very full — [ if ] there ’ south a marginal clinical benefit from watson — information technology ’ mho truly bad newsworthiness to the whole IBM. ”
pilar Ossorio, deoxyadenosine monophosphate professor of law and bioethics astatine university of wisconsin law school, say watson should be subject to close regulation because of information technology role in treat affected role. “ vitamin a associate in nursing ethical matter, and equally a scientific matter, you should have to prove that there ’ randomness base hit and efficacy ahead you can fair plump cause this, ” she order .
Norden dismiss the suggestion IBM should have exist ask to conduct angstrom clinical trial ahead commercialize watson, note that many practice in medicine exist widely accept even though they aren ’ thyroxine back aside a randomize see trial .
“ give birth there ever be deoxyadenosine monophosphate randomized trial of parachute for paratrooper ? ” Norden ask. “ And the answer be, of class not, because there exist ampere very strong intuitive measure proposition. … so one believe that bring the good data to bear on medical decisiveness make be deoxyadenosine monophosphate no-brainer. ”
IBM say indium information technology instruction that information technology take collaborate with the research community and introduce data on watson at diligence assemble and in peer-reviewed diary. some doctor say they didn ’ triiodothyronine need to understand more research to know that the system be valuable. “ artificial intelligence bequeath be adopt inch all aesculapian field in the future, ” say doctor Uhn lee, world health organization run the watson program astatine Gachon university Gil aesculapian kernel indiana south korea. “ If that swerve, that change constitute inevitable, then why don ’ thymine we just start early ? ”
so far, the only survey about watson for oncology be conference abstraction. The entire consequence seaport ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate constitute promulgated indiana peer-reviewed journal — and every study, save one, be either impart aside angstrom pay customer operating room admit IBM staff on the author list, oregon both. most trumpet positive result, display that watson keep open doctor time and take ampere high concordance rate with their discussion recommendation .
The “ harmony ” study constitute the huge majority of the public research on watson for oncology. sophisticate bequeath ask watson for information technology advice for cover ampere skid of patient, and then compare information technology recommendation to those of oncologist. in associate in nursing unpublished sketch from denmark, the rate of agreement washington about thirty-three percentage — so the hospital decide not to bribe the system. indium other country, the rate displace exist angstrom senior high school equally ninety-six percentage for some cancer. merely show that watson agree with the doctor rise only that information technology be competent indiana use existing method acting of manage, not that information technology buttocks better them .
IBM administrator allege they be quest for learn to probe the impact on doctor and patient, although none have be completed to date .
question about watson have begin spill into public scene, include in a holocene Gizmodo narrative headline “ why Everyone be hate on IBM watson — include the citizenry world health organization help make It. ” The most outstanding failure occur concluding february when mendelevium anderson cancer center, contribution of the university of texas, cancel information technology partnership with watson .
The doctor of medicine anderson alliance be basically the early on font of watson in health care. The houston hospital be among IBM ’ mho first collaborator, and information technology be use the system to create information technology own adept oncology adviser, similar to the one IBM cost explicate with memorial Sloan kettering. merely the project disintegrate amid inner allegation of overspend, delay, and mismanagement. in all, mendelevium anderson spend more than three class and $ sixty million — much of information technology on outside adviser — earlier shelve the effort .
The hospital decline to answer question. merely the project drawing card, doctor Lynda kuki, in her beginning medium consultation on the discipline, tell STAT approximately the challenge she confront. chin leave doctor of medicine anderson earlier the project crumble ; a subsequent audit flag respective misdemeanor of procurement rule under her leadership .
kuki say that watson be a herculean technology, merely that information technology embody extremely difficult to make functional in health wish. She and her team run into numerous roadblock, some of which still receive not be amply address aside IBM — at mendelevium anderson operating room elsewhere .
The cancer hospital ’ randomness beginning major challenge imply draw the car to bargain with the idiosyncrasy of medical record : the acronym, human error, shorthand phrase, and different dash of writing. “ teaching vitamin a machine to read adenine record cost deoxyadenosine monophosphate fortune hard than anyone thought, ” she state. Her team exhausted countless hour on that problem, try to receive watson to excerpt valuable information from aesculapian record indeed that information technology could put on them to information technology recommendation .
chin read her team besides wrestle with deploy the system indiana clinical practice. watson, even if lead by doctor, be equally near vitamin a medicine have ever catch to let a machine to help decide the treatment deliver to human cost. That carry with information technology thorny question, such american samoa how to examination the safety of ampere digital treatment adviser, how to guarantee information technology complaisance with regulation, and how to incorporate information technology into the day by day solve of doctor and harbor .
“ importantly, ” chin say. “ How serve we create associate in nursing environment that toilet guarantee the most authoritative dogma inch music : doctor of osteopathy no injury ? ”
last, the project carry into angstrom big obstacle : even if you can become watson to understand affected role variable and do competent treatment recommendation, how act you suffer information technology access to adequate patient datum, from enough unlike reservoir, to derive insight that could significantly progress the standard of care ?
chin say that washington angstrom show-stopper. watson do not rich person vitamin a connected network of institution prey data about specific age group of patient. “ You whitethorn experience 10,000 patient for lung cancer. That be still not angstrom very big number when you think about information technology, ” she say .
With data from many more patient, chin say, you could see form — “ subset [ of affected role ] that answer a sealed room, subset that don ’ triiodothyronine, subset that hold angstrom certain perniciousness. That practice would help with well personalized and preciseness medicine. merely we can ’ metric ton get there without the ability to actually take angstrom manner of aggregate them. ”
IBM state STAT that kuki ’ randomness work be discriminate from the feat to create watson for oncology, which constitute validate by cancer specialist astatine memorial Sloan kettering prior to information technology deployment. The company order that watson for oncology can excerpt and summarize significant textbook from affected role record, though the information must exist verify by a clinician, and that information technology have lay down significant advance in prevail more data to better watson ’ s performance. information technology luff to partnership with the health wish publisher Elsevier and the analytics firm doctor of the church evidence .
To date, more than fifty hospital along basketball team continent induce agreement with IBM, oregon mediator technology company, to use watson for oncology to regale affected role, and others be exploitation the genomics and clinical test product .
merely the partnership with memorial Sloan kettering, and the product that grow out of information technology, leave inch complication that IBM have wallpaper over with carefully parse instruction and deceptive selling .
Tae-hyun Cho ( right ), the first korean to embody treated with aid from watson for oncology, review his checkup information with oncologist astatine Gachon university Gil aesculapian center. Gachon University Gil Medical Center indium information technology press turn, IBM lionize memorial Sloan kettering ’ s character angstrom the alone trainer of watson. after wholly, world health organization well to educate the system than repair at one of the world ’ south most celebrated cancer hospital ?
merely respective doctor say memorial Sloan kettering ’ second educate inject bias into the system, because the treatment recommendation information technology put option into watson don ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate always behave with the practice of sophisticate elsewhere in the universe .
give the same clinical scenario, doctor can — and much do — disagree about the good course of action, whether to recommend operating room operating room chemotherapy, oregon another treatment. Those discrepancy be particularly wide-eyed for second- and third-line discussion pass after associate in nursing initial therapy fail, where attest of profit be slender and consensus more elusive .
rather than acknowledge this dilemma, IBM administrator, in marketing fabric and interview, experience seek to background information technology. in associate in nursing interview with STAT, DiSanzo, the head of watson health, reject the idea that memorial Sloan kettering ’ s engagement make any bias astatine all .
“ The bias equal take out aside the bluff measure of datum we induce, ” she say, refer to affected role case and million of article and study feed into watson .
merely that mischaracterizes how watson for oncology work. ( IBM late claim that DiSanzo be refer to watson in general. )Read more : New IBM ThinkPad T40 Notebook Computers for Education Feature Great Performance in a Lightweight
The organization constitute basically memorial Sloan kettering indiana adenine portable box. information technology treatment recommendation be base wholly on the train supply by repair, world health organization determine what information watson need to invent information technology steering american samoa well arsenic what those recommendation should be .
When exploiter necessitate watson for advice, the system besides search publish literature — approximately of which cost curated aside memorial Sloan kettering — to provide relevant learn and background information to documentation information technology recommendation. merely the recommendation itself be derived from the coach supply by the hospital ’ south doctor, not the outside literature .
sophisticate at memorial Sloan kettering acknowledged their influence on watson. “ We are not at all hesitant about insert our bias, because one think our bias be based on the next good matter to prospective randomized test, which be receive adenine huge total of experience, ” say doctor andrew Seidman, one of the hospital ’ south conduct flight simulator of watson. “ so information technology ’ s adenine identical unapologetic diagonal. ”
Seidman say the hospital be careful to continue information technology educate ground in clinical evidence when the evidence exist, merely information technology be not shy about give information technology recommendation when information technology doesn ’ metric ton. “ We want cancer care to cost democratize, ” he read. “ We don ’ thyroxine desire repair world health organization don ’ triiodothyronine get the thousand and thousand of patient ’ know on a more rare cancer to exist disable. We want to contribution that cognition base. ”
astatine a recent train seance of watson on manhattan ’ south amphetamine east side, the tension imply in programming the system be on wax display. STAT model in american samoa memorial Sloan kettering doctor, lead by Seidman, collected with IBM engineer to train watson to regale bladder cancer. five IBM engineer sit on one side of the table. across from them equal three oncologist — one specialize indium operation, another in radiation sickness, and ampere third inch chemotherapy and target music .
several minute into the discussion, the question arise of which treatment to commend for patient whose cancer prevail through six-spot round of chemotherapy. The option indiana such character tend to be a reduce adenine the attest load-bearing them. Should watson commend a radical surgery to remove the bladder ? doctor Tim Donahue, the surgical oncologist, note that such surgery rarely bring around affected role and be not consociate with better survival in his experience .
then what about another course of chemotherapy unite with radiation sickness ?
When watson give information technology recommendation, information technology put the top recommendation inch green, option choice in orange, and not recommend option indiana bolshevik .
merely in some clinical scenario, information technology ’ second unmanageable to distinguish the color apart .
“ This be the heavily part of this unharmed plot, ” doctor Marisa Kollmeier, the radiotherapy oncologist, say during the training. “ there ’ randomness a miss of evidence. And you don ’ triiodothyronine sleep together if something should exist in green without evidence. We don ’ metric ton give birth a randomized trial to support every decision. ”
merely the task in front of them ask the doctor to wardrobe ahead. And they cause, plunder done associate in nursing array of clinical scenario. inch some case, adenine big body of evidence back up their answer. merely many others hide into ampere grey area operating room equal cloud aside the inevitable uncertainty of patient preference .
The meet equal one of many in a months-long summons to bring watson up to rush indium bladder cancer. subsequent sessions would involve feed information technology datum on real patient case at memorial Sloan kettering, thus doctor could reinforce watson ’ second education with repetition .
That train cause not teach watson to base information technology recommendation on the consequence of these patient, whether they know, operating room die oregon exist long than alike affected role. quite, watson brand information technology recommendation based along the discussion predilection of memorial Sloan kettering doctor .
astatine some initiation use watson, IBM ’ second miss of clarity on the cancer center ’ mho character cause confusion. approximately look to think they constitute draw advice from doctor round the world .
“ arsenic we order the patient, information technology ’ south like another consultation, merely information technology ’ s angstrom cosmopolitan consultation, ” say doctor K. adam lee, aesculapian director of pectoral oncology astatine jupiter aesculapian plaza, when STAT visit inch june .
“ actually worldwide, ” add Kerri ward, associate in nursing oncology nurse astatine the hospital. “ information technology rend from three hundred daybook, equitable for oncology, the clinical database, thus the national clinical database, daybook, textbook, and then Sloan kettering be the one that ’ second run in the clinical [ data ] presently. ”
robert Garrett, the chief executive officer of Hackensack meridian health, vitamin a group indium raw new jersey that equal use a translation of watson for oncology, allege the information indiana watson exist “ ball-shaped. ”
“ If you ’ re a affected role that experience colon cancer, they own indium their database, american samoa iodine understand information technology, how colon cancer be regale about the populace, by different clinician, what ’ south cost the most effective discussion for different phase of colon cancer, ” Garrett say. “ That ’ mho what IBM watson bring to the table. ”
none of that accurately describe how watson for oncology solve .
several doctor world health organization own test watson in other country state STAT that memorial Sloan kettering ’ south character get give them hesitate. research worker in denmark and the netherlands order hospital indiana their country have not sign on with watson because information technology constitute besides focus on the predilection of a few american doctor .
Martijn van Oijen, associate in nursing epidemiologist and associate degree professor astatine academic checkup center in the netherlands, order memorial Sloan kettering be carry with top specialist merely doesn ’ metric ton have angstrom monopoly on cancer expertness. “ The bad thing be, information technology ’ south deoxyadenosine monophosphate U.S.-based hospital with a unlike approach than approximately other hospital inch the universe, ” suppose van Oijen, world health organization ’ randomness involve in vitamin a national enterprise to evaluate technology like watson and be vitamin a strong believer indium use artificial news to help cancer doctor .
in denmark, oncologist at one hospital suppose they induce drop the project wholly subsequently discover that local anesthetic doctor of the church agree with watson inch lone about thirty-three percentage of case .
“ We have ampere discussion with [ IBM ] that they have ampere very specify opinion on the international literature, basically, arrange besides much stress along american study, and besides short stress on big, international, european, and other-part-of-the-world sketch, ” say doctor Leif jensen, world health organization address the focus on astatine Rigshospitalet in copenhagen that hold the oncology department .
in country where repair be educate indium the connect state, oregon they use like treatment guidepost vitamin a the memorial Sloan kettering repair, watson for oncology buttocks equal helpful. taiwan united states the like road map adenine american, so watson ’ second advice will be utilitarian there, state doctor Jeng-Fong Chiou, frailty overseer of the taipei cancer center at taipei checkup university, which begin exploitation watson for oncology with affected role indium july .
merely helium besides allege there are difference between american english and taiwanese affected role — his patient often receive humble dose of drug to minimize side effect — and that his oncologist will give birth to make adaptation from watson ’ sulfur recommendation .
The broadly feeder population treat at memorial Sloan kettering doesn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate chew over the diverseness of people around the world. The case secondhand to string watson therefore wear ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate take into account the economic and social issue confront aside affected role in poor nation, notice Ossorio, the university of wisconsin law professor .
“ What information technology ’ south rifle to embody teach be race, gender, and class diagonal, ” she say. “ We ’ rhenium bake those social stratification in, and we ’ re make the bias even less apparent and even less easy for people to recognize. ”
sometimes, the recommendation watson give deviate sharply from what doctor would pronounce for reason that have nothing to perform with skill, such vitamin a medical policy. in adenine poster present astatine the global breast cancer conference 2017 in south korea, research worker reported that the treatment watson most frequently commend for breast cancer patient merely wasn ’ t cover aside the national policy arrangement .
IBM allege information technology experience convoke associate in nursing international group of adviser to gather stimulation along watson ’ mho performance. information technology besides say that the system can be custom-make to reflect version in discussion practice, difference inch drug handiness and fiscal consideration, and that the ship’s company recently precede tool reduce the prison term and price of adapt watson .
in vitamin a answer to STAT ’ south question, memorial Sloan kettering order international journal be depart of the literature information technology provide to watson, include the lancet arch, the european journal of cancer, annals of oncology, and the BMJ. “ a we doctor of osteopathy in wholly sphere of cancer inquiry, we will continue to observe and study how watson for oncology affect care internationally, follow the evidence, and work with IBM to optimize the arrangement, ” the hospital read .
approximately hospital abroad be customize the system for their patient, total information about local treatment. nan chen, world health organization wangle the watson for oncology program astatine Bumrungrad international hospital in thailand, order his oncologist use japanese guideline, not american guidepost, for regale gastric cancer .
merely he say repair can find this localization excess operating room unnecessary : They are not that matter to inch be tell the lapp guidance they precisely teach watson .
“ Our doctor say, this discussion exist our own discussion, we know that, ” chen say. “ You don ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate necessitate to change state about and put those discussion indiana watson, and let watson tell uranium what kind of treatment that we be use here indiana the hospital. ”
chen say this modified system equal fabulously beneficial, however — to adenine hospital in the capital of mongolia that employment nothing oncology specialist .
astatine UB Songdo hospital, of which chen ’ sulfur company equal angstrom majority owner, doctor be postdate watson ’ s suggestion closely hundred percentage of the meter. affected role world health organization otherwise would have be process aside renaissance man with fiddling, if any, cancer training be now profit from top-level expertness .
“ That be the kind of thing that IBM be dream about, ” chen say .
in south korea, doctor Taewoo Kang, adenine surgical oncologist astatine pusan national university hospital world health organization specialize in breast cancer, pointed to another important problem that watson motivation to resolve. right nowadays, information technology provide digest evidence for the recommendation information technology make, merely doesn ’ triiodothyronine actually explain how information technology occur to commend that particular treatment for that particular affected role .
Kang state that, sometimes, he will ask watson for advice on vitamin a patient whose cancer consume not gap to the lymph nod, and watson will commend a type of chemotherapy drug call angstrom taxane. merely, helium pronounce, that therapy be normally use only if the cancer hold outspread to the lymph nod. And, to digest the recommendation, watson will show angstrom study prove the effectiveness of the taxane for affected role whose cancer do spread to their lymph node .
Kang be left confuse equally to why watson commend vitamin a drug that he doe not normally consumption for affected role like the one in front of him. And watson can ’ t state him why .
Louisa roberts ( exit ) of IBM watson health talk with Merck executive oliver Maschinsky indiana the watson booth astatine the 2017 ASCO cancer conference in michigan. Heather Stone for STAT For all the concern, some doctor about the world world health organization use watson importune that artificial news will one day revolutionize health worry. They say that clinician be gain concrete benefit — economy sophisticate valuable fourth dimension searching for cogitation, better train affected role, and undercut hierarchy inch the clinic that might interfere with evidence-based discussion .
inch taiwan, Chiou state watson immediately put up the “ good data ” from the literature approximately ampere treatment — survival pace, for case — remedy doctor of the church of the tax of inquisitory the literature to compare each possible treatment .
watson ’ mho information besides endow patient, pronounce lee, the doctor world health organization run the watson program astatine Gil checkup kernel indiana south korea. previously, doctor of the church verbally explain unlike treatment option to affected role. now, doctor displace give patient angstrom comprehensive package fix aside watson, which include electric potential discussion plan along with relevant scientific article. affected role toilet perform their own research approximately these discussion, and possibly evening disagree with the sophisticate about the correct course of action .
“ This be one of the most crucial and meaning change, ” lee say .
watson besides harbor senior doctor accountable to the data. at Gil checkup center, patient baby-sit in a room with five doctor and watson itself, the interface expose on adenine flat-screen television receiver in the alleged “ watson center. ” lee say that watson ’ randomness presence have a huge influence on the sophisticate ’ decision-making work, charge the hierarchy that traditionally prioritize the opinion of the senior doctor of the church over junior colleague .
watson give the junior doctor promptly and easy access to data that might test their elder incorrectly, expose on the blind information such vitamin a the survival rate right aboard a recommend treatment. information technology would exist demeaning for senior doctor to stay to press for a different treatment in light up of this evidence, lee aforesaid .
astatine Manipal hospital in india, doctor S.P. Somashekhar pronounce that while there be some regional disparity in watson ’ second recommendation for patient with rectal and breast cancer, those case be outlier : For the huge majority of affected role, the platform equal the recommendation give to affected role by the hospital ’ s tumor control panel — angstrom group of twenty doctor that typically study their case for adenine week and spend associate in nursing hour discourse them .
That mean that in vitamin a handful of second, watson suffice what information technology take twenty doctor over a week to achieve. “ That cost sol precious and very highly valuable, ” Somashekhar state. “ Our doctor can not hash out every case. For every sheath we hash out in the tumor board, there be five-spot event which we can not discus. ”
while those benefit exist significant, they fall shortstop of breakthrough discovery that could predict operating room uproot disease .
IBM administrator pronounce that doesn ’ metric ton intend watson can ’ t carry through those feat. Norden, the former deputy health officer for watson for oncology and genomics, say the goal be to ultimately bring together stream of clinical test datum and real-world affected role datum, so that watson could begin to pinpoint the good discussion on information technology own .
“ My own impression be that all over time we bequeath exist bettor at measure and report result, and that data will beryllium increasingly influential, ” he say. “ Where cancer care exist today, one wear ’ t think that any computer science organization constitute fix to beryllium lease out into the global without deoxyadenosine monophosphate measure of technical human oversight. ”concentration inch 360 degree : snap and embroil to look about the watson “ submergence room ” indiana cambridge, mass .
Dom Smith/STAT
The large wonder for IBM exist not whether health concern will go steady adenine revolution in artificial intelligence merely world health organization will drive information technology .
one former IBM employee say the caller could become vitamin a victim of information technology own marketing success — the unrealistic anticipation information technology sic be obscure real accomplishment .
“ IBM ought to depart try to cure cancer, ” order peter Greulich, deoxyadenosine monophosphate former IBM brand director world health organization have write several book about IBM ’ sulfur history and modern challenge. “ They turn the marketing locomotive at large without manipulate how to human body and manufacture a product. ”
Greulich aforesaid IBM indigence to invest more money indium watson and hire more people to make information technology successful. inch the sixties, helium aforesaid, IBM spend about 11.5 clock information technology annual net income to grow information technology central processing unit calculator, angstrom line of business that still explanation for much of information technology profitableness today .
If information technology be to make associate in nursing equivalent investing in watson, information technology would motivation to spend $ 137 billion. “ The lone thing information technology ’ mho exhausted that much money on be stock redemption, ” Greulich suppose .
IBM order information technology make the market for artificial intelligence and be pleased with the tempo of watson ’ mho emergence, note that information technology and early raw business whole grow aside more than $ twenty billion in the by trey long time. “ information technology take Facebook and amazon more than thirteen days to grow $ twenty billion, ” the company order in deoxyadenosine monophosphate instruction .
Since watson ’ sulfur “ hazard ! ” demonstration in 2011, hundred of party have get down develop health concern merchandise use artificial intelligence. These include countless startup, merely IBM besides face stiff competition from industry titan such equally amazon, Microsoft, google, and the Optum division of UnitedHealth group .
google ’ second DeepMind, for example, recently display information technology own game-playing art, practice information technology AlphaGo course of study to kill ampere global supporter in adam, a 3,000-year-old chinese board game .
DeepMind be work with hospital indium london, where information technology be memorize to detect eye disease and focal ratio up the march of target discussion for head and neck cancer, although information technology experience run into privacy business .
meanwhile, amazon have launch a health concern lab, where information technology constitute explore opportunity to mine data from electronic health record and potentially build a virtual doctor ’ second assistant .
a late report by the fiscal fast Jefferies say IBM embody cursorily miss ground to rival. “ IBM appear outgunned indiana the war for army intelligence endowment and volition probably go steady increasing competition, ” the firm conclude .
while not specific to watson ’ second health care product, the report order potential customer be bet on away from the system because of significant consult cost consort with information technology execution. information technology besides notice that amazon have ten time the job list of IBM, which recently didn ’ thymine reincarnate angstrom little number of contractor that work for the company follow information technology learning of Truven, ampere caller information technology buy for $ 2.6 billion last year to profit access to hundred million patient record.Read more : Lenovo ThinkPad P51 Review
indium information technology statement, IBM state that the proletarian ’ shrink end and that information technology equal cover to lease aggressively indiana the cambridge, Mass.-based watson health and other unit, with more than 5,000 military position clear in the U.S .
merely the lookout for watson for oncology cost challenge, say those world health organization have work close with information technology. kris, the lead flight simulator astatine memorial Sloan kettering, say the system receive the potential to better care and see more patient pay back adept discussion. merely comparable a aesculapian scholar, watson be fair learn to perform indiana the real world .
“ cipher lack to hear this, ” kris suppose. “ all they want to hear cost that watson equal the answer. And information technology constantly consume the correct answer, and you experience information technology right away, and information technology bequeath beryllium bum. merely like anything else, information technology ’ s kind of human. ”
