Not too long ago, AI solutions were merely a wish list item to healthcare professionals.  Whether it was adverse risk appetite, cost, lack of use cases, or unproven ROI, the benefits may have been acknowledged, but the adoption was limited.  In today’s world, it’s quite different.  From 2023 to 2025, the AI market has almost doubled within healthcare from $19.27 billion to $36.96 billion.  By 2034, the healthcare AI market is expected to be valued at $613.81 billion.

Let’s dive into some of the key areas AI is being leveraged:

• Medical Imaging & Diagnostics: This area is arguably the most prominent use case across healthcare where pathologists, radiologists, and clinicians are leveraging AI for more efficient and effective processes.  They are accelerating diagnosis with AI pattern recognition through image analysis, enhancing early-stage diagnosis, more precisely tracking disease progression, and ultimately reducing human error in missed diagnoses. 
• Clinical Documentation and Administrative Tasks: While burnout rates have declined, the issue persists.  However, AI’s capabilities have proven to be a powerful factor in the continued improvement of healthcare workers’ job satisfaction.  Tools like AI scribes are using voice recognition and natural language processing to automatically populate clinical notes into EHRs based on real-time patient conversations.  Thus, drastically improving the administrative burden on physicians and healthcare workers. 
• Clinical Trials and Drug Discovery: In what used to take months or years for scientists, is now just a matter of weeks.  Not only is AI accelerating drug discovery for scientists, but it is also allowing for predictive analytics to assess side effects, toxicity, and effectiveness of the drug to avoid late-stage failures resulting in significant cost savings. 
• Mental Health: When it comes to mental health, access, personalization, and proactiveness are paramount.  AI-powered chatbots have harnessed these areas by offering mental health support around the clock, using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques.  AI has allowed for early detection of mental health decline, personalized treatment plans, and ongoing behavioral monitoring through apps and wearables. 

In a relatively short amount of time, Artificial Intelligence has already had profound effects within many significant areas of healthcare.  As we prepare for a forecasted growth of over 1,600% over the next 10 years, the opportunities to capitalize on this tool to improve lives and enhance healthcare outcomes and experiences are unprecedented.