谷歌的人工智能DeepMind可以给人看病了

An algorithm developed by DeepMind can assess eye scans far faster - and as accurately - as some leading experts.

深度思考（DeepMind，谷歌旗下的人工智能企业）开发的一个算法可以像一些一流专家那样准确地进行眼部扫描检查，而且检查的速度比专家快得多。

It’s set to be the first breakthrough AI system for health, says Pearse Keane, the ophthalmologist who initiated the collaboration with the artificial intelligence company, which is owned by Google’s parent corporation Alphabet.

这会是人工智能体系在健康领域取得的第一项突破，眼科医师皮尔斯•基恩说道。他与谷歌母公司阿尔法特（Alphabet）旗下的人工智能公司合作发起了这项研究。

Keane, who in addition to practising at Moorfields eye hospital in London is a researcher at University College London, says the new system can circumvent the severe shortage of experts who can interpret the millions of eye scans performed each year.

基恩还是伦敦大学学院的一名研究员，也是伦敦莫菲尔德眼科医院的一名医师。他表示，这套新系统可以规避专家严重短缺的问题，而且每年可以进行数百万次眼部扫描检查及诊断。

The DeepMind algorithm is trained to spot indicators of eye disease and recommend how patients should be referred for care.

深度思考的这套算法经过训练，可以注意到眼科疾病的指标，并向病人提出可供参考的护理建议。

The technology allows experts to prioritise patients with the most serious eye diseases, before irreversible damage sets in, said Keane.

这项技术使专家可以在形成不可逆的损伤之前优先为那些最严重的眼疾患者诊治，基恩说道。

“The results are jaw-dropping,” he told the Wired Health 2019 conference in London on Tuesday. “Ophthalmology will be the first field transformed by AI.”

周二他在伦敦举办的2019年度健康连线大会上表示，“研究结果十分令人惊叹，眼科学将会是人工智能改造的第一个领域。”

Early results for the system show a correct referral rate of 94 per cent for over 50 eye disorders, putting it on the same level as people with 20-plus years of experience in the field, said Alan Karthikesalingam, a senior clinician scientist at DeepMind’s health division.

深度思考健康分部的高级临床科学研究员艾伦·卡西科萨林加姆称，早期的研究结果表明，对于50多种眼疾的诊断，这套系统的正确转诊率达94%，其专业程度可媲美那些在该领域工作过20多年的人。