An AI software program is now a licensed physician

An artificial-intelligence software program has passed China’s exam for licensing physicians. The program needed 360 points to pass the test; it scored 456 and did it in a fraction of the allotted time.

This wasn’t just a multiple-choice test. More than half the questions ask the test-taker to analyze actual patients’ cases, formulate diagnoses and prescribe treatments. In other words, the software robot had to think.

The AI robot, developed by the private company iFlyTek and engineers at Tsinghua University, absorbed the technical knowledge of working physicians. Then, it reasoned from what it learned.

After the test, iFlyTek announced that it was expanding its AI business into medical education and care.

TRENDPOST: Stocking an artificial-intelligence program with physicians’ knowledge and experience in diagnosis and treatments will enable more patients to be screened at far less cost, saving money that can be spent on actual treatment.