Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming various sectors, enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and safety in ways previously unimaginable. By assisting professionals such as doctors and police officers, AI is playing a crucial role in making the world a safer place. While it is likely premature to make calls for AI to replace humans, there is mounting evidence that equipping skilled professionals with AI technology can forge a safer world.
In the medical field, AI is revolutionizing how doctors assess data and make critical decisions. With the vast amount of medical data available today, it can be challenging for healthcare professionals to keep up to date and provide the most accurate care to every patient. A 2016 study conducted by Johns Hopkins and published in The BMJ estimated that more than 250,000 deaths per year in the US are due to medical error.1 It’s a tragic outcome and one that researchers believe stems from many causes, such as poorly coordinated care, but can be addressed by reducing variation in care and correcting diagnostic errors.
Enter AI technology, specifically large language models (LLMs) trained on a full curriculum of medical care techniques and diagnostic training. A July 2024 study published by the AEI put 5 LLMs to the test, literally, by assessing their competence on the US Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step 3. This test assesses a new doctor’s ability to manage patient care across a broad range of medical disciplines and includes both multiple-choice questions and computer-based case simulations. ChatGPT-4.o scored an astounding 98% (correctly answering 49 of 50 questions), easily surpassing the 60% minimum passing score and the 75% average passing score.2 Beyond just answering the test questions, ChatGPT-4.o “provided detailed medical analyses, employing language reminiscent of a medical professional. It not only delivered answers with extensive reasoning, but also contextualized its decision-making process, explaining why alternative answers were less suitable” noted Dr. Scott Gottlieb.2 Advancements like these serve as powerful reminders that arming some of society’s most skilled physicians with informative technological companions have the potential to prove lifesaving.
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AI is also helping streamline law enforcement by allowing front line responders to spend less time in the office and more time serving the public. Advancements such as Axon Enterprises’ Draft One offering reduces administrative tasks and assists officers in writing accurate incident reports more efficiently. Axon, well known for its body camera offering, has expanded its AI Initiatives as of late to overcome what they see as a “failure of technology,” with the company estimating that “officers spend as much as two-thirds of their day on paperwork.”3 By feeding their AI software with video directly from their body cameras, “the AI helps to redirect an officer’s time and help them not waste hours watching inconsequential parts of the video.”4 Axon is careful to limit the AI’s ability to generating facts of the incident, though, and much of the generated responses are still fact checked. However, by reducing the time spent on paperwork and allowing officers to focus on more consequential actions, AI contributes to more effective and efficient law enforcement.
In my opinion, AI is undoubtedly making the world a safer place by enhancing the capabilities of professionals across various sectors. In healthcare, AI assists doctors in making accurate diagnoses and detailing treatments, both of which can improve patient outcomes. In law enforcement, AI streamlines administrative tasks and detects factual information, allowing officers to focus additional time on more impactful areas of case work. As AI technology continues to evolve, its potential to enhance safety and improve lives will only grow. By embracing AI responsibly and ethically, we can harness its power to create a safer and more secure world for everyone.
- https://hub.jhu.edu/2016/05/03/medical-errors-third-leading-cause-of-death/
- https://www.aei.org/op-eds/how-well-can-ai-chatbots-mimic-doctors-in-a-treatment-setting-we-put-5-to-the-test/
- https://www.axon.com/company/axon-ai-research
- https://www.inc.com/principal/how-outsourcing-can-help-relieve-workloads-and-drive-business-growth.html
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