Whether you like it or not, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer an enigma lurking in the shadows. It’s here, for real, and manifest in our everyday lives.

You don’t believe me?

It’s true. When you launch your favorite mobile app, or call your bank and “talk” to a computer-generated teller, or even give instructions to Apple’s Siri, you’re interfacing with AI. It’s called “Weak AI” and it’s been around for a while. But how does it work? What can it be used for? Will it benefit mankind, or be an instrument of destruction?

Last week, a colleague and I traveled to San Francisco to attend the AI Summit and get answers to those questions. Over the course of two days we heard from, and talked to, many of the 120+ speakers, over 2,000 attendees and 50+ sponsors. We did this in part to learn more about AI, machine learning and cognitive computing, but also to see how AI was being presented to the market.

More on that in a bit…

I like to think I have a pretty good grasp on what AI is, in general, but one of the interesting things I learned at the conference was the difference between Weak AI and Strong AI. Weak AI, also called Narrow AI, is associated with software and systems designed to perform singular, repetitive tasks associated with human ability. One of the most powerful examples of Weak AI is IBM’s Watson. Despite the brute force computing solution created by IBM, one that can repeatedly beat the world’s greatest chess Grandmasters (and Jeopardy champions), Watson does not have ‘general’ intelligence. It can’t learn on its own, question or reason with authority, or become familiar with higher level concepts.

Strong AI, conversely, is a system or robot that can pretty much do whatever a human can. It can learn on its own. It can make determinations based on reason. In essence, it’s the next step towards consciousness and sentience. And most interesting from a pop culture standpoint, it’s what fascinates Hollywood, drives science fiction, and scares the Hell out of anyone that’s seen the movie The Terminator.

Fortunately, most experts believe that Strong AI is many years, perhaps decades away. Yet some day, it too, will become a reality.

So what does that have to do with the AI Summit?

Today, most Fortune 1,000 organizations, and many more venture-backed start-ups, are working on some form of Weak AI solution to drive efficiencies, lower costs, improve customer service…and meet needs that most of us haven’t even considered. In fact, AI is listed at the top of the Gartner Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies.

With so much money, time and resources being invested, we were curious to see how organizations and industry leaders were presenting AI to the market…and if there were any gaps in that communication. Hence, at the AI Summit we wanted to learn:

• Who was speaking?
• What was the focus?
• What was the content being presented?
• How was the message received?

After two days of informative general sessions, promising demonstrations and enlightening discussion it was clear that no one was focused on what many consider the most prescient topic in artificial intelligence: HEALTHCARE.

If you followed the news recently you would have seen two significant announcements from Partners HealthCare:

The first was that Partners HealthCare and GE Healthcare launched a 10-year collaboration to integrate artificial intelligence into every aspect of the patient journey. That effort includes co-development of an open platform on which deep learning applications can be created, validated and seamlessly integrated into clinical workflows, with focus areas of applications spanning multiple medical specialties, including radiology, pathology and population health.

“This is an important moment for medicine,” said David Torchiana, MD, CEO of Partners HealthCare. “Clinicians are inundated with data, and the patient experience suffers from inefficiencies in the healthcare industry. By combining the expertise at Mass General and Brigham and Women’s with the spirit of innovation at GE, this partnership has the resources and vision to accelerate the development and adoption of deep learning technology. Together, we can empower clinicians with the tools needed to store, analyze and leverage the flood of information to more effectively deliver care to patients.”

The second announcement was the decision that in 2018, Partners HealthCare Innovation will have its own AI conference, one dedicated to healthcare and the transformative impact it can have on patient care. And that’s the real reason we went to the AI Summit.

Now in its fourth year, we wanted to see how the World Medical Innovation Forum | Artificial Intelligence compared to one from industry. And you know what we learned…

The World Medical Innovation Forum | Artificial Intelligence is at the perfect intersect of healthcare, technology and industry. Unlike the San Francisco conference, the Forum is focused on highlighting innovations in patient care and promoting the deep experience of the researchers, clinicians and C-suite leaders driving change. The topics are more relevant. The keynote speakers are experts in their field. And the attendees represent the very best that healthcare has to offer.

And if that doesn’t motivate you to register for the Forum, check out this cool AI video by clicking here.

Ultimately, what excites me about the Forum is its focus on the advancements and opportunities of artificial intelligence in healthcare. So if you’re new to the Forum, here’s some more detail on the conference:

• 1,300+ attendees from industry-leading CEOs, inventors, investors and deal makers
• 120+ C-suite speakers
• Attendees include academics, app developers, clinicians and investigators, data scientists, HIT, industry leaders, investment community
• IT, life science, pharmaceutical, government and health care investment communities will be well-represented
• There will be ample opportunities to network with peers and talk to innovators

If you’re interested in AI, you need to attend the Forum. It’s the one place you’ll see experts share insights and perspectives on how cognitive computing, machine learning, and big data are transforming patient care.

Don’t miss this opportunity.

Click here to register!

World Medical Innovation Forum | Artificial Intelligence
April 23 – 25, 2018
Westin Copley Place
10 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02116