Since 2015, Chinese firms have joined the tide of adopting artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. Some startup companies have begun to develop technologies and products for medical diagnostic imaging, pathological detection and intelligent inquiry. Meanwhile, Internet giants such as Tencent, Alibaba and Baidu are working on establishing open medical platforms and integrating more resources for the AI-based healthcare market.

With great investment potential, there has been a capital inflow boost in the field as both the amount and the frequency of investment have grown exponentially since the second quarter of 2015, according to data from Yiou Think, a technology industry think tank.

Moreover, as AI technologies in healthcare advance, the implementation of applications has also accelerated. For example, most intelligent imaging-assisted diagnosing systems can analyze data and make a tentative diagnosis within 30 seconds. In addition, the accuracy of specialized AI products for pulmonary nodule screening hit 99 percent, higher than the average rate of doctors.

However, AI products in healthcare still face challenges in large-scale application. To realize their commercial value, AI products need to be more feasible, simple and compatible with the workflow of hospitals. Since there is a long way to go before AI can fully transform the traditional mode of healthcare, it is most likely that AI will play an assisting role in improving the accuracy of diagnoses and provide efficient services for disease control and health management.

(This is an edited excerpt of an article originally published in Oriental Outlook on September 6)