LIVERPOOL -- The spotlight fell brightly on AI at Tuesday's plenary session at the U.K. Imaging and Oncology Congress (UKIO). The international expert panel comprising senior radiologists and leading industry figures spent nearly two hours scrutinizing the current status of AI and the main challenges that lie ahead.
"Boring AI is good AI," noted radiologist Dr. Rizwan Malik, managing director of SMR Health and Tech in Manchester, UK, adding that insufficient attention goes to the more mundane aspects of the technology.
He likened AI to the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, with its tight twists and turns and unique difficulties. "We don't talk enough about the layers of roadblocks and the obstacles that can disrupt a project or system."
Think more deeply about the structural, procedural, or operational bottlenecks stacking on top of one another, Dr. Rizwan Malik told UKIO delegates.Philip Ward
Simon Rost, chief marketing and strategy officer at GE HealthCare in Germany, agreed that more discussion of the less glamorous aspects of AI is essential. "We tend to talk a lot about the sexy stuff -- early cancer detection, for example -- but not about how AI can help a great deal with the less sexy topics, such as billing and how to schedule more slots for imaging."
More emphasis on patients is necessary, according to Prof. Catherine Jones, a radiologist at I-MED Radiology in Australia. "We've not completely forgotten about patients, but we need to think more about how patients can benefit from AI."
The huge increase in the volume of images is another major issue, said Graham King, AI special focus group convenor at AXREM, a U.K. trade association for medical imaging, radiotherapy, healthcare IT, and care equipment. When he first worked on a PACS in 2023, a CT exam had about 40 views, but now each exam has 500-plus views.
"AI is doing many good things, like expediting the lung cancer pathway. But there are also a lot of failings, especially on the regulatory side," King pointed out, adding that automating the work of a second reader in breast cancer screening has not been achieved yet.
The AI community can be very premature in calling out the winners, according to Chad McClennan, CEO of Koios Medical, a software company in New York. He said that investment in AI had stagnated for three years, but this situation is changing now and there is more capital available.
In the video interview below, session moderator Steve Holloway, CEO and co-founder of Signify Research, reflects on the UKIO debate. He speaks about his impressions of the congress, U.K. market trends, and the prospects of the U.K. reversing Brexit and rejoining the EU. As a special bonus, he gives his hot tip for next week's Royal Ascot meeting.
Video produced and edited by Culture City, Liverpool.
