Abstract
Authors/editors: Eric Topol
Year of publication: 2019
ISBN number: 9781541644632
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How would you rate this book? (5 star means excellent book useful for all GPs in training – a must have item; 1 star means poor book that you would not buy yourself)
What is good about this book?
Will artificial intelligence (AI) replace me? This is a concern among doctors, especially with news like Babylon Health’s AI outperforming GPs in the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) in 2018. Deep Medicine digs deep (no pun intended) into that concern and examines both sides of the AI conundrum with regards to medicine. The book is written by an American cardiologist and for doctors, even those with little knowledge of AI, is very readable. As the author took me on a journey through various milestones of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, I felt a sense of awe at the dizzying rate of change, possibly leading to the end of medicine as I have come to know it. The march of the machines is here, whether we like it or not. AI is already performing better than most physicians in narrow, well defined tasks. But the author offers hope. In a recurring theme throughout the book, the author talks about working in partnership with AI rather than competing head-on with it. As doctors, we are still better at integrating clinical data and relating to patients on a personal level – think biopsychosocial medicine. It is hoped that by harnessing AI, GPs of the future will be liberated to spend more time facing the patient rather than the computer screen.
What is bad about this book?
What makes us so special as doctors? For some, this book may induce an existential crisis with the realisation that our beloved profession, even self-identity, is threatened by machines that never eat, sleep or demand any (inflation-adjusted) pay. Deep Medicine challenges beliefs of self-sufficiency and forces readers to reflect on the biological constraints of doctors and human beings. In addition, while the author tries to break down the concepts into easily digestible chunks, I found myself re-reading some complex concepts in AI that went over my head. This book is probably not suitable for a lazy read after a stressful morning clinic.
ORCID iD
Dr Ernest Wong https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6606-1522