The AI that predicts Death
We’re all destined for a date with the reaper, the only variables for us are “how” and “when”. U.S medical technology company, Excel Medical, have created a “death predicting” A.I. for at-risk patients, and it’s just been granted approval by the FDA. The WAVE Clinical Platform works by using computer algorithms to assess whether an at-risk patient has a high likelihood of dying, or if their condition has potential to rapidly deteriorate.
WAVE is made up of an integrated system of medical records and hospital workstations, providing near real-time data on a patient’s physiology, medical history, family history, age and medication. Factoring in these variables, the AI calculates the risk of death or deterioration – up to six hours in advance of when a doctor might typically notice. If any red flags appear, WAVE notifies an on-call doctor through a smartphone app who can then attend to the potential patient.
Lance Burton, General Manager of Excel Medical says that WAVE’s primary objective is to eliminate unexpected deaths in hospitals completely. “Everything we do as an organisation aligns toward and supports the goal of eradicating unexpected deaths in hospitals. People may say zero unexpected deaths is unattainable. We say anything other than zero is unconscionable.”
There is significant progress in the field of death predicting AI., with scientists from Stanford University also perfecting their own algorithm that can apparently forecast death with a 90 percent accuracy. It may sound like something from a science fiction novel, but imagine if the AI went mainstream, for example, pairing it with a FitBit or smartwatch? If an alert popped up you could take yourself to a hospital as soon as possible and seek the appropriate medical attention. The question is, would you want to know when you might “die”, or just let it happen unexpectedly?
