Berlin’s Former Charité Head Expects Artificial Intelligence to Revolutionize Medicine
Berlin’s former Charité head, Karl Max Einhäupl, believes that artificial intelligence (AI) can significantly transform the medical sector. In an interview with the Tagesspiegel, Einhäupl predicted that by the end of the decade, half of radiologists, laboratory medical professionals and dermatologists could be replaced by AI. This does not mean that human experts will be redundant, but rather, they will take on new tasks, including improving the very AI programs they work with.
Einhäupl, a neurologist, led Berlin’s state-owned Charité, the largest university clinic in Germany, from 2008 to 2019. Prior to that, he served as the president of the German Science Council, which advises the federal government. Currently, he is the president of the two-day Berlin Capital Congress, an event that brings together hundreds of doctors, clinic managers and researchers in Berlin starting from June 25.
Although AI is increasingly being used in Germany, Einhäupl emphasized that the country is still lagging behind in this field. China, India, the US, as well as Spain, Italy and the UK, are developing AI much more extensively, with software developers attributing this to Germany’s strict data protection laws.
“The chances of AI are much greater than the risks, if we can strike a balance between the two” Einhäupl said. “We do need data protection, but an overly broad data protection can be afforded if one is healthy. The seriously ill, on the other hand, would wish for sufficient data to be available, so that the best treatment can be derived from it.”
Berlin, with its high concentration of research institutions, tech start-ups, universities and clinics, could potentially benefit from accelerating the use of AI, Einhäupl believes. “The programmers might sit in Karlsruhe, Darmstadt and Munich, where there is a lot of technical expertise, but the planners and idea generators could be in Berlin” he said.