A. What is Artificial Intelligence?
Artificial Intelligence refers to computer systems designed to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as recognising patterns, analysing information, making predictions and supporting decisions.
Example: An AI system analyzing a chest X-ray to identify signs that may indicate tuberculosis.
B. What is Machine Learning?
Machine Learning (ML) is a subset of AI in which systems learn patterns from data to make predictions or classifications.
Example: A model trained on medical images to identify patterns associated with certain diseases.
C. What is Clinical Decision Support?
Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) provide doctors with information, alerts, risk assessments or recommendations to assist clinical decisions.
They are intended to support medical professionals, who must consider the patient's symptoms, medical history and other relevant evidence.
D. What is Algorithmic Bias?
Algorithmic bias occurs when an AI system produces systematically inaccurate or unfair outcomes for particular groups.
Causes:
- Training data that underrepresents certain populations.
- Poor-quality or incomplete data.
- Inadequate testing across different demographic groups.
- Incorrect assumptions built into system design.
Example: An AI diagnostic tool trained predominantly on data from one population may perform less accurately on another population.
E. What is Explainable AI?
Explainable AI (XAI) refers to methods that help users understand why an AI system produced a particular prediction or recommendation.
In healthcare, explainability can help doctors evaluate whether an AI-generated result is clinically plausible and identify potential errors.
F. What is Human-in-the-Loop AI?
Human-in-the-loop AI involves human oversight in the development, evaluation or use of AI systems.
In medical diagnosis, it means that doctors critically evaluate AI-generated findings and retain appropriate responsibility for clinical decisions rather than accepting every recommendation automatically.
G. What is Data Privacy in Healthcare?
Medical records contain sensitive personal information, including diagnoses, test results and treatment histories.
Responsible AI deployment requires appropriate safeguards against unauthorised access, misuse, disclosure and insecure data processing. In India, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, is an important part of the evolving personal-data protection framework.
H. Difference Between AI Assistance and AI Replacement
| AI assistance | AI replacement |
|---|---|
| Supports doctors in analysing clinical information. | Attempts to perform diagnostic functions without sufficient human oversight. |
| Combines computational analysis with clinical judgement. | Risks excessive dependence on automated outputs. |
| Allows professional evaluation of recommendations. | May reduce opportunities to identify errors if outputs are accepted blindly. |