AI's Greatest Opportunity Lies in Healthcare: Insights from Industry Leaders

In 2017, Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Alphabet (Google’s parent company), stated that “the greatest application opportunity for artificial intelligence lies in healthcare, and the largest application scenario for healthcare is in China.” Over the past two years, China has frequently introduced policies to accelerate industrial development, with those promoting the integration of AI and healthcare drawing widespread attention within the industry.

In July 2017, the State Council issued the Development Plan for New-Generation Artificial Intelligence, which explicitly called for promoting and applying new models and methods of AI-assisted treatment, and establishing a rapid and precise intelligent healthcare system. It also proposed exploring the development of human-machine collaborative clinical intelligent diagnosis and treatment solutions in the context of smart hospital construction, so as to achieve intelligent medical image recognition, pathological subtyping, and intelligent multidisciplinary consultations.

In April 2018, the General Office of the State Council issued the “Opinions on Promoting the Development of ‘Internet + Healthcare’,” which reiterated the need to develop artificial intelligence-based clinical decision support systems, carry out intelligent medical image recognition, pathological classification, and multidisciplinary consultations, and apply intelligent voice technologies in various healthcare scenarios, so as to improve the efficiency of medical services.

The introduction of these two policies has played a guiding role in the application and development of artificial intelligence in the healthcare sector. Under policy guidance, the integration of medical big data and AI in clinical decision support has been successfully implemented and has achieved notable progress. Among these advancements, AI applications in medical imaging are relatively mature, with their role in clinical decision support becoming increasingly prominent.

In promoting the integration of AI with the healthcare industry, while proactive exploration by enterprises is undoubtedly important, government support is equally critical.

In May 2017, a high-profile artificial intelligence roundtable held in Guangzhou attracted 28 internationally renowned leaders from the IT and financial industries, including Tian Suning, Chairman of AsiaInfo Group; Jerry Yang, Founder of Yahoo; Deng Zhonghan, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Kai Li, Academician of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering; Zhang Yaqin, President of Baidu; and Liu Qingfeng, Chairman of iFLYTEK.

Guangzhou is widely recognized as one of the earliest hubs in China for artificial intelligence (AI) research, boasting a robust industrial foundation, well-structured industrial planning, a dense concentration of talent, and rapid industrial growth. As a key cluster and comprehensive pilot zone for the AI industry, Nansha District has been committed to building itself into a global hub for AI applications, having already attracted numerous AI research institutions and enterprises from around the world.

Following the roundtable meeting, and with the support of the Nansha Development Zone Management Committee, the Guangzhou International Artificial Intelligence Industry Research Institute (hereinafter referred to as the “Guangzhou AI Research Institute”), a new-type R&D institution established by AsiaInfo Group, was founded in Nansha New Area in October 2017. Leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data, the Institute engages in technological research, product development, achievement transformation, and industrial promotion. It has also established an AI public technology support platform, an AI industry exhibition center, and an AI industrial park.

In the blink of an eye, more than half a year has passed.

On June 23–24, 2018, leading figures in artificial intelligence will once again gather at the “2018 Guangzhou AI Roundtable.” This event serves more as the inaugural showcase of achievements by the Guangzhou AI Research Institute since its establishment over six months ago.

“Roundtable Forum on Medical AI Driving Industrial Transformation,” as a sub-forum and core component of the “2018 Guangzhou Artificial Intelligence Roundtable Conference,” focuses on the practical application of AI in the healthcare sector. The forum is guided by the Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government, hosted by the Nansha Development Zone Administrative Committee and the International Artificial Intelligence Industry Research Institute, and organized by LinkDoc Health Intelligence Technology (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. The forum will cover three key areas:

It is reported that participants in this forum include experts and corporate representatives from various sectors such as government, industry, and healthcare. Notable attendees include Tian Suning, Dean of the Guangzhou International Institute of Artificial Intelligence Industry; Gu Dongfeng, Vice President of Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; Liu Shiyuan, Director of the Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at Shanghai Changzheng Hospital; Sun Dongdong, Professor at Peking University Law School; Liu Xiaohua, Chief Scientist at LinkDoc Technology; and Jiang Xiaodong, Partner at Changling Capital, among others.

The convening of this roundtable will inevitably accelerate Guangzhou’s development into an international hub for scientific and technological innovation, establishing it as a primary source for the growth of the artificial intelligence industry. “Embrace Change, Co-Create an Intelligent Future”—your presence makes it extraordinary!