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While discharging a child with asthma from the emergency department, Srinivasan Suresh, M.D., M.B.A., FAAP, opened a generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) app on his phone. He asked the artificial intelligence (AI) program to explain to a 10-year-old how to use an albuterol inhaler and spacer. He then used a text-to-speech function to play the audio for his patient.
“When the phone read out the instructions, the child was happy that someone was talking with him. The parents were happy because the child was happy. I was happy because everyone in the room was happy,” said Dr. Suresh, professor of pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh and vice president and chief medical information officer at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.
It’s a scenario that is becoming more common in the medical setting, and physicians should be prepared to embrace the technology, Dr. Suresh said during the Monday plenary session “AI: Where Are We and Where Are We Going?” at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition.
AI already is helping with the large backlog of autism screening.
“Using their smartphone, a caregiver will answer some questions about their child and uploads two short home videos showing the child,” said Dr. Suresh, chair of the AAP Council on Clinical Information Technology. “A health care professional then completes a brief questionnaire about the patient’s development and behavior. All this data is fed through an AI-based algorithm, which results in a highly accurate positive, negative or indeterminate result for us.”
The tool also develops a detailed report guiding the pediatrician on next steps for treatment.
“This is the first digital diagnostic for autism authorized by the Food and Drug Administration and is trained on data from over 300,000 pediatric patients, more than any of us can treat in our life” Dr. Suresh said. “This is about caring for human beings.”
The ability to diagnose a patient quickly and access early intervention services and therapies is critical for long-term health, Dr. Suresh said.
AI tools also are being used to predict the amino acid sequence (protein folding), which can help identify health issues, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
“These are already speeding up drug discovery and enabling the development of molecules that can prevent or even reverse protein folding,” Dr. Suresh said. “Imagine what this could do to revolutionize the treatment of common pediatric conditions such as sickle cell disease.”
While trust in this emerging technology is improving, there are worries about potential bias and even environmental concerns. AI servers need massive amounts of water for cooling, considerable electricity and generate a significant carbon footprint, Dr. Suresh said.
To help pediatricians navigate the rapidly-evolving world of AI, the AAP has a series of webinars and other resources at www.aap.org/ai. It also is beginning dialogue to develop a policy statement on the responsible use of AI.
“Yes, we need to work on biases or imperfections, but I’m confident the technology will get there,” Dr. Suresh said. “I get this question all the time, ‘Will AI or can AI replace clinicians?’ The answer is no. I will not be replaced by a computer or by a robot. However, a physician who embraces the use of AI may replace the physician who does not.”
