The 7 types of people you encounter in 'AI in Healthcare'

After having spent some years studying and progressing the cause for AI in healthcare and interacting with hundred's of people in this area, I have identified 7 types that broadly covers the type of people operating in AI in healthcare. This is not a business or scientific analysis of the various stakeholders in AI in healthcare but a commentary of the personalities that function or you encounter in this area. The article is meant to be semi-humorous and a broad account rather than the description of an individual I have encountered. So please read it as such ??

Techvangelist

They are into any health application that is the flavour of the month or any hot tech that catches their eye. They do their research enough to communicate the fundamentals of the tech to interested parties and the general public. They are keynote speakers at conferences and have regular appearances in tv and radio shows discussing how a particular type of tech will change healthcare delivery. Their presentations and discussions are of high entertainment value and attention-grabbing but provide little insight or depth about the technology. Their attention to a particular tech is fleeting as they don't want to be tied to a specific technology. Yesterday it was EHR, today it is AI, tomorrow it is brain-machine interfaces. Their value is opening doors for emerging technologies and educating the public about the pros and cons of a type of technology.

Overtly Optimist

These are the flag bearers or cavalry for the use of AI in healthcare. For them, AI is the zeitgeist of our times, the solution to all healthcare challenges, the manna from heaven and an unprecedented game-changer. They can come either from a tech or healthcare background but most are of an IT background. They figure AI can unravel all healthcare gordian knots and unleash a force that healthcare professionals have been waiting for decades. They see any sceptics or naysayers of AI in healthcare as obstructionists or dinosaurs who need to disappear. They most always overpromise and under deliver. Their discussion about AI in healthcare can be easily mistaken as sales pitches. Their value is convincing fence-sitters to get on board the AI journey and being persistent in their belief of AI even when the hype bubble deflates.

Born Cynic

These are the ones who have scepticism of all innovations or anything to do with tech in healthcare. For them, nothing can substitute the role of humans in healthcare delivery. They have seen many fads fade away into the sunset and AI is another of these fads. They can bury their heads in the sand even when scientific evidence of the usefulness of AI emerges. They ignore the human frailties in healthcare delivery and issues with their healthcare system, thinking time will sort these out. Yet these people are useful to counter the unnecessary hype media creates about AI or lack of practicality many AI applications have in clinical workflows. They help stakeholders understand the flipside of the use of AI and enable a cautious approach toward the use of AI in healthcare.

Fence Sitter

They have read and heard about the achievements of AI in healthcare, attended talks from experts and joined forums where AI is discussed. They follow the progress of AI and thought of ways they can use AI in their health service. However, they have also heard AI is just hype waiting to be busted as an impostor. For them, a good approach is to wait it out. Dip your toes in the water but not immerse yourself such that you get swept away if the tides turn against AI. What they haven't considered is that AI is already being used in healthcare with the number of AI applications approved and being used in healthcare settings rising each year. Also what they haven't considered is the opportunity costs for health services and patients by waiting it out.

Burnt out Entrepreneur

Having rushed into investing in AI and setting up businesses to develop and sell AI products in healthcare without doing the homework, they present a cautionary tale. Relying on the hype and identifying the gaps in healthcare they think AI can address but not having thought about the need for data pipelines, infrastructure and the integration of their application in the clinical workflows of health services they have realised the challenges too late. Lack of a business model or limited return of investment has led to deflation of their expectations and downsizing of their business. Yet diamond can come out of the coal if they persist, reconfigure their business model and identify new sources of data pipelines to train and test their AI models.

Downright Obstructionist

Their basis for obstructing or creating hurdles for the entry of AI in healthcare is not so much about the technical or business limitations but to do with their role in the project. The reason can also be a perceived threat to their autonomy or role or responsibilities in healthcare delivery. They are closet admirers of AI and will become outright champions of the tech, if only they were in charge.

Pragmatist

They have studied both AI and healthcare. They recognise the gaps in healthcare delivery AI can address but also the limitations the technology has. They are aware of the challenges in implementing AI in healthcare and are cognisant about its use or non-use by healthcare professionals and its impact on patients. They have reviewed evidence of the use of AI in various medical specialities, noted the benefits and appreciate its role in their health services. However, they adopt a cautious but non-obstructionist path towards the use of AI in healthcare. They do their homework in terms of AI and consult with experts in the domain to ensure unvarnished advice is received. They think ahead and consider the practicalities of adoption of AI in their health service in developing AI applications. They act as a bridge between the tech and clinical fields and bring together different views about AI in healthcare in their planning. A small but growing breed. May they prosper.