The Chinese technology giant Tencent has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) programme that can speed up the process of diagnosing Parkinson’s disease.
Developed in collaboration with the London-based medical firm Medopad, the AI uses cameras that monitor how patients move their hands in order to evaluate the severity of their symptoms.
The AI has been trained to identify symptoms by studying existing video footage of Parkinson’s patients, says Forbes. The process, often referred to as machine learning, was completed with the help of London’s King’s College Hospital.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The process of monitoring a patient’s symptoms normally takes about half an hour, but the tech developed through the partnership could cut that down to three minutes.
According to Wei Fan, Tencent’s head of medical research, the technology would allow medical professionals to set drug dosage levels and monitor patients without the need for hospital visits, Bloomberg reports.
In an interview with the BBC, Medopad’s chief executive Dan Vahdat said the company had been hoping to create an AI programme for smartphones that was capable of detecting Parkinson’s symptoms but couldn’t find a Britain-based firm that could match “what Tencent offered as a partner.”
“Our ambition is to impact a billion patients around the world – and to be able to get to that kind of scale we need to work with partners that have international reach”, he said.
Can these AI techniques be used for other diseases?
If the technology developed for Parkinson’s patients proves a reliable method for tracking symptoms it’s certainly a possibility.
The technology is still a prototype. But if the AI could be transferred onto a smartphone – an area that Medopad specialises in – it could be adapted for other diseases.
Fan and Vahdat told Bloomberg that the technology could be applied to childhood brain cancers, for example. It could also be used to monitor the progression of scoliosis (a spinal condition) in younger patients.
-
5 capitulating cartoons about the Democrat's shutdown surrenderCartoons Artists take on Democrat's folding, flag-waving, and more
-
How are these Epstein files so damaging to Trump?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As Republicans and Democrats release dueling tranches of Epstein-related documents, the White House finds itself caught in a mess partially of its own making
-
Margaret Atwood’s memoir, intergenerational trauma and the fight to make spousal rape a crime: Welcome to November booksThe Week Recommends This month's new releases include ‘Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts’ by Margaret Atwood, ‘Cursed Daughters’ by Oyinkan Braithwaite and 'Without Consent' by Sarah Weinman
-
Is AI to blame for recent job cuts?Today’s Big Question Numerous companies have called out AI for being the reason for the culling
-
‘Deskilling’: a dangerous side effect of AI useThe explainer Workers are increasingly reliant on the new technology
-
AI models may be developing a ‘survival drive’Under the radar Chatbots are refusing to shut down
-
Saudi Arabia could become an AI focal pointUnder the Radar A state-backed AI project hopes to rival China and the United States
-
AI is making houses more expensiveUnder the radar Homebuying is also made trickier by AI-generated internet listings
-
‘How can I know these words originated in their heart and not some data center in northern Virginia?’instant opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
AI: is the bubble about to burst?In the Spotlight Stock market ever-more reliant on tech stocks whose value relies on assumptions of continued growth and easy financing
-
Your therapist, the chatbotFeature Americans are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence for mental health support. Is that sensible?
