Image generated by AI
Titanium Media App, June 6th: June 6th, 2024 marks the 29th National Eye Care Day in China. Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, and Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. jointly released ChatZOC, a large ophthalmology model based on artificial intelligence technology research.
The number of registered ophthalmologists in China is around 45,000, but the patient population is enormous, with a doctor-to-patient ratio of 1.6:50,000. Even with technological breakthroughs, the number of patients benefiting from one doctor or one hospital remains limited. How to extend access to high-quality medical resources to more people is a challenge that can be addressed through the widespread adoption of new technologies.
It is reported that Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center began the localization research and development of the ChatZOC Ophthalmology Large Model in March 2023, and launched joint research and development with Huawei in December of the same year. The ChatZOC Ophthalmology Large Model is based on a high-quality ophthalmic diagnosis and treatment knowledge base, linked to the big data platform of Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, and incorporates the latest ophthalmology guidelines and literature, with support provided by Huawei's advanced computing power team. The ChatZOC Ophthalmology Large Model has 720 billion parameters, and training a model of this scale typically requires computing power between 10-20 petaflops.
Large model training is a complex systems engineering effort. Beyond computational power, Huawei also provides various advanced technologies, such as efficient fine-tuning of partial parameters in foundational models and segmented retrieval-augmented generation, to enable standardized model learning across multiple stages of training and multidimensional data processing.
Zou Zhilei, Senior Vice President of Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., stated that Huawei fully respects the intellectual property rights of doctors, hospitals, and the medical industry: "We advocate 'letting medical professionals understand AI, rather than letting AI professionals understand medicine.'"
"Huawei is not entering the medical large model field, but rather supporting Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center in empowering the medical industry with AI. We are committed to applying AI to solve medical scenario problems and building a 'unified architecture, unified standards, and unified data format' for the ophthalmology industry. Through the platform, we aim to accumulate the leading experience and knowledge of hospitals, reducing the marginal cost of experience transfer," he said.
In January 2024, ChatZOC completed model deployment, empowering medical staff in multiple aspects such as "medical care, education, research, prevention, and management."
In the field of medical assistance, ChatZOC comprehensively processes complex clinical information, facilitates doctor-patient communication about conditions, and assists doctors in diagnosis and treatment. In teaching, medical students interact with ChatZOC to fully simulate doctor-patient Q&A, cultivate diagnostic thinking, and enhance humanistic care. ChatZOC is also a convenient and accessible intelligent research assistant for researchers, providing one-stop management of research projects and tools, promoting interdisciplinary integration and innovation. In the construction of digital hospitals, ChatZOC offers patients round-the-clock eye health consulting services. Tests have shown that, with the same manpower, patient service efficiency under the ChatZOC-assisted model can increase by up to 75%.
Zou Zhilei also emphasized, "Artificial intelligence is now the theme of the times. China's advantage lies in its rich scenarios and massive data. Therefore, we must achieve breakthroughs through 'industry AI applications' to create world-leading industrial AI. Huawei will also focus on core industry scenarios, concentrate on computing power platforms, address common and high-value issues within industries, solve real-world needs, and use fundamental technologies to build a solid foundation for solutions, ecosystems, and talent."
It is reported that the ChatZOC Ophthalmology Large Model will first be used within Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, and after iterative updates and product maturity, it will be launched in the C-end market.(This article was first published on the Titanium Media APP, Author | Zhang Shuai, Editor | Gai Hongda)