Ashleigh Kennedy, Co-Founder & CEO, Neurovine
Happy third birthday Neurovine! When I look at how far we’ve come, I can’t help but reflect on where we started. With two PhDs and a postdoctoral fellowship in Neuroscience, I wanted to use my education and experience to create something that would tangibly help the patients I had been studying for 15 years. Dr. Matthew Kennedy, my Co-founder, spent the early part of his career treating concussion patients. We both saw the need for new technology and research in the area and together, we launched Neurovine.
Neurovine is changing the way concussion patients recover. We’re advancing the status quo in brain health, providing accessible data-driven recovery for patients and AI-driven insights for clinicians. Our growth has also verified the need for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technology in the health care delivery system. As a neuroscientist building a company in AI and ML, I would like to get you excited about some of this incredible innovation and raise some real concerns about what the future of AI in health care looks like for us.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution
The acceleration of AI, otherwise known as the fourth industrial revolution, has seen a new rise of machine learning, incredible advancements in cryptocurrency, the Internet of things, augmented virtual reality, and blockchain. This whirlwind of innovation has brought us to the cusp of the fifth industrial revolution, where the line between human and computer starts to disappear. This is where we as a human race learn how to dance with the innovation that we've created. But the question is do we trust AI to be our dance partner in the coming years.
Currently, billions of dollars are being spent on the development of ASI, or artificial superintelligence, which revolves around the idea that computers will reach our level of human cognition. But because they don't share the same biological and chemical constraints that our brains do, experts predict that once they reach our level of human cognition, they will surpass us very quickly.
The HealthY Uneasiness Surrounding AI
A lot of us have a natural uneasiness when it comes to artificial intelligence. This discomfort is largely driven by media and movies that depict superpowered AI robots seeking world domination. While entertaining, we may need to consider the AI-driven but more subtle shifts in power. You may remember the movie Gattaca, in which AI-empowered computers became a gatekeeper to the American dream. It depicted the use of blood samples to categorize humans into genetically inferior or “invalid” humans and genetically superior or “valid” humans who were given the keys to power and authority within our society.
You may be thinking this is a far-fetched future, maybe a conversation that we need to have further down the road. However, experts are clear that we are at a fork in the road, and the technology that we’re currently building will ultimately threaten or enhance our experience as humans on earth. This innovation will shape who we can become, what we can achieve as a society, and how we interact with one another in the world around us.
AI In Health Care
Recent developments in artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud computing, and wearables are creating a complete transformation of our health care system. These innovations are advancing so fast, that we’re entering a gray space where we don't really understand the definitions of helpful and harmful. AI-driven innovation is changing the field of human augmentation. Bodies are being restored and minds are being improved in ways that are unheard of.
One example is exoskeletons that are being used to increase the strength and endurance of construction workers. Brain implants and AI are being combined to allow individuals to control the exoskeletons with the power of their brains. Another example is of individuals with a prosthetic limb being able to feel sensation through that limb, and being able to control fine motor movement like cracking an egg or picking up a piece of Lego.
It's exciting, but we have to remember that a lot of these technologies are actually being driven by closed-loop computer systems, where AI is enhancing our human experience without our human input. Technology that was designed to re-establish human agency is actually taking a lot of control away from these patients. In another example, deep brain stimulation is being used to improve cognition and behavior in patients with Parkinson's disease. This has been going on for decades in clinics and hospitals, but with the advancements in technology 200,000 people have signed up for trials where deep brain stimulation has been implanted in their brain and they go home with it.
This is an incredible technology being applied to a really important area. But if our regulatory system doesn't help us navigate the commercialization of tools like this, we end up in a society that looks a little bit more like Gattaca, where we have those who can afford the technology, whether it's an individual or a country, becoming augmented or valid humans and those who can't afford the technology, becoming invalid humans or humans who are not augmented thereby increasing the divide between the rich and the poor.
On top of this, our regulatory system can’t keep up with how fast we’re innovating. It’s a good problem to have but how do we trust AI-driven innovation to take care of our health and the health of our children in the future.
HUMAN-CENTERED AI
Experts across the globe are creating theoretical frameworks to develop human-centered AI. Research is showing you can value-load AI to bring it into alignment with human values. In addition to this, checks are being put in place that encourage humans to be involved in the decision-making process. Even in areas like disease diagnosis where AI already shows the potential to outperform humans, physicians are included as the final decision-makers. As innovators, we are striving to make our future safer as well. We’re creating transparent algorithms that you and your physician can understand, and implement easily into your daily life to improve your health care. We're testing out these algorithms rigorously on patient populations as opposed to on generated data like many other AI-driven fields can do. And we’re working closely with regulatory bodies to ensure your data is safe.
At Neurovine, we’ve implemented an agile approach to product design, where we're seeking feedback from the users and providing opportunities for you to actually get involved in the development process. As an innovator and a business owner, one of the most important pieces of the puzzle is you, the health care consumer. Without you, there's no reason to bring our innovation out of the lab and into the market and there is no market. So, while experts speculate, it’s your consumer dollars that are going to determine which technologies thrive and which technologies just don't make the cut. Your acceptance or rejection of our data privacy policies will dictate how we handle your data. So, I encourage you to read your user license agreements, and if you’re not comfortable with it, let the companies know. Your inclusion or exclusion of your physician in this process is going to dictate how the medical field sees these evolving technologies. So, I encourage you to involve your doctor in this process. If you’re going to choose an application to guide your health, let them know.
The impact of AI-driven innovation in our health care system is massive and it’s already starting. If we get it right, we can democratize the health care process around the globe. If we get AI-driven health care wrong, we risk losing some of what it means to be human along the way. I encourage you to get curious about AI-driven innovation and lend your voice and your data so that we can choreograph this human-computer dance together.
Neurovine is aiming to empower patients to take control of their recovery. To find out more or get involved, give us a call, email, or contact us. We look forward to hearing from you!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Let Us Know What You Thought about this Post.
Put your Comment Below.