Google’s deep mind AI beats doctors at breast cancer detection
The process of identifying breast cancer from mammograms relies on doctors to read scans. While these doctors are expert at their fields, in many parts of the world, there is a shortage of doctors, resulting in a backlog of screenings. Google’s AI has been trained by doctors, using scans from 29,000 women. The results were an increase in accuracy, reducing false positives by 5.9% and reducing false negatives by 9.4%. CNBC
dis-rup-shun: This extraordinary data has the potential of bringing about important changes in the healthcare arena, and what will accelerate adoption is even more data than the 29,000 respondents in this study. Google has engaged in a number of partnerships with healthcare organizations that are resulting in technology proof points. Google appears to be racing down the connected health path of clinical solutions while Apple is focusing on direct to consumer solutions through its wearables. Regardless of the competitive landscape, it is likely that healthcare will rely heavily on AI and data analytics in diagnoses, perhaps well within this decade.
What to expect at CES
Coverage of CES starts on Sunday, but a few themes predicted by The Verge include:
- 5G phones, even if a bit early for mainstream
- Foldable phones, even if many won’t be great
- TVs with 4K resolution, ready to be tethered to game consoles
- TVs hyping 8K resolution, but little content to display
- Steaming services, with support on TVs for apps and access
- PCs with much more powerful processors
- Sony and Microsoft’s latest game consoles and plenty of talk about cloud gaming from Apple, Google and even Amazon
- Electric cars
- Electric and folding scooters, skateboards and mopeds
- Even better digital SLR cameras (remember those?)
- Smart home products that are even more attractive than last year
- Earphones and earbuds
dis-rup-shun: CES continues to be the most amazing carnival of electronics on the planet, even though Apple and Microsoft don’t participate (as exhibitors). The amazing thing about the show is that as products get better, the real power is in software, AI and cloud services, meaning its harder to see and understand the real innovations. Clever vendors, however, have clever ways of displaying the un-seeable, so there is no doubt that the CES experience will continue to amaze. Panasonic, Samsung and LG will continue to boggle the mind with their tunnels that feature hundreds of the latest TVs displaying amazing images.
Denmark powered by wind
Denmark is now powering nearly 50% of its energy needs from wind power, up from 43% thanks to its enormous Horns Rev 3 windfarm, featuring 49 floating turbines. The country is benefiting from its proximity to the very windy North Sea, and is taking a lead in clean energy initiatives. Gizmodo
dis-rup-shun: Denmark’s population is 5.6 million, less than many of the world’s major cities, but nonetheless an important demonstration that renewable energy is a viable alternative to fossil fuels. The physics preventing long range transmission of energy continues to challenge the export of energy from windy places to less windy, but perhaps changing these physics is a future challenge to Musk or Bezos.