Data Sanctity Is More Important Than Data Security In Healthcare

The 21st century has witnessed numerous groundbreaking innovations, including Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is considered the technology that can revolutionise every industry, particularly healthcare, where it is needed to integrate into routine tasks. For instance, Google has developed technology to detect heart diseases through retina scans.

Speaking at the 2nd edition of BW Businessworld’s Annual Healthcare Summit, Tathagato Rai Dastidar, Founder and CEO of SigTuple, emphasised the rapid adoption of technology in healthcare. While new technologies emerge every day, they must undergo thorough clinical trials to determine their efficacy. Rai highlighted that the same neural network used for image recognition of cats and dogs could be utilised for detecting diseases like pneumonia. The patentability of AI itself is questionable, as neural networks are often open source and applied in a wide range of solutions.

AI in healthcare currently focuses on personalisation and customisation. Sahil Pruthi, Founder and CEO of Livofy, explained that it aids the medical fraternity by reducing resources and time required for patient care. Customisation is a general trend in the industry.

However, the data collected by these new-age technologies can be more disastrous than helpful if accessed by the wrong hands. Before focusing on security, ensuring the sanctity of the data used to train AI models is essential. AI is trained using vast amounts of data it generates itself, so maintaining the accuracy of that data is crucial for effective training, as Pruthi emphasised.

The true potential of AI in India is yet to be explored. Although AI is currently used to address basic problems, its potential surpasses imagination. For instance, tracking the amount of time doctors spend with patients or implementing hospital management systems could bring significant improvements, according to Apar Gupta, Founder of Blu Ocean Innovation.

It is vital to monitor the misuse of AI technology. If left unchecked, it could lead to harmful outcomes and benefit only a specific group of stakeholders. Gupta provided an example, mentioning that patient complaint data is not publicly accessible, and fake reviews can now be created. The data surrounding us may not be accurate, and an effective healthcare ecosystem in India is lacking.

AI has the potential to revolutionise the healthcare industry, but thorough clinical trials and data sanctity are essential. The true scope of AI in India remains largely untapped, and addressing the misuse of technology is crucial for its responsible and beneficial implementation.