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Whats the problem youre trying to solve?Clayton Christensen, the late Harvard business professor, was famous for posing this aphoristic question to aspiring entrepreneurs.

By asking it, he was teaching those in earshot an important lesson: Innovation, alone, isnt the end goal. To succeed, ideas and products must address fundamental human problems.

This is especially true in healthcare, where artificial intelligence is fueling the hopes of an industry desperate for better solutions.

But heres the problem: Tech companies too often set out to create AI innovations they can sell, rather than trying to understand the problems doctors and patients need solved. At many traditional med-tech conferences and trade shows, for example, talks and sales pitches focus squarely on the technology while routinely overlooking the human fears and frustrations that AI can address.

Because of this failure to prioritize human needs above business interests, medicines most-hyped AI applications have, repeatedly, failed to move the needle on public health, patient safety or healthcare costs.

Fortunately, humanistic problem-solving will take center stage at the upcoming South by Southwest (SXSW) conference and festival in Austin, Texas, from March 13-22. At this alternative cultural event, where hip musical acts overlap with indie film premiers, some 70,000+ conference attendees can find dozens of AI panels and presentations designed to put people first.

Addressing the challenges and opportunities around how technology affects our community is hugely important, said Hugh Forrest, Chief Programming Officer at SXSW. From privacy to blockchain to AI to MedTech, using this lens to filter how we look at a lot of issues facing modern society allows us to connect the dots in a deeper way. Especially in the case of an area like AI, where theres quite a bit of uncertainty and fear, we also want to showcase how these innovations can be ethical and improve lives.

Heres a small sample of the human-focused AI presentations coming to SXSW.

On Making Med-Tech More Humane

In response to our nations mental health crisis, the SXSW presentation titled Can Language Technology Rescue Mental Healthcare? will bring together a technologist and a psychologist to spotlight possible solutions. The duo will talk about tech that predicts suicide attempts 10 times more accurately than a doctors evaluation and algorithms that raise the red flag for onset of psychosis.

The panel Humanitarian AI: Disasters, Displacement & Disease will focus on the untamed global threat of nature disasters. From wars to disease outbreaks to flooding, humanity is still struggling to contain these millennia-old problems. Can technology, and AI in particular, help humanitarian agencies get ahead of the next disaster and help first responders save more lives?

On Med-Tech Making Our Lives Easier, Healthier, Better

Turning to the role of technology in our daily lives, the presentation How Tech is Transforming Healthcare, in Your Home examines the convergence of connected health and smart home products. According to the speakers, technologies like Alexa could soon help enhance independent living, improve health outcomes and reduce medical costs for families.

Similarly, in hospitals, AI and robotic technologies can unburden nurses of menial duties (likemaking repeat trips to the supply room). Doing so frees up time to address more patient-facing problems. Robots and Automation: Happier Healthcare Workplaces will focus on opportunities to improve the workflow of our nations overworked nurses.

On Making Sure Med-Tech Is Ethical, Secure

Several presentations at SXSW will address humanitys growing concern over AI doing more harm than good. In healthcare settings, for example, patients and doctors are expressing valid fears that dirty data will result in unintended medical errors and accidents. The AI Did What?! When AI Isnt Very Smart aims to help designers avoid such failures.

In healthcare, AI adoption has slowed in recent years due, in part, to apparent bias in data and algorithms, leading to inequitable care for minority populations. Looking beyond the walls of American medicine, the talk Hidden Figures: Exposing Bias in AI will focus on the impact, detection and mitigation of biased data in government, society and our daily lives.

The European Union has moved ahead of the United States in regulating technology to ensure greater privacy and equity. A high-profile panel of speakers at SXSW will discuss Shared Values for Ethical AI. This talk follows last weeks much-anticipated announcement about regulating artificial intelligence in the EU. The new proposal establishes technical and ethical standards that would influence the development and use of AI in healthcare and other industries.

In Next Gen AI: The Human Centered Design Challenge, leaders from Google, Microsoft, McKinsey and Ideo will examine how AI can earn the publics trust by learning to be smart, fair and transparent.

Finally, speakers from Carnegie Mellon and Deloitte will present The Accidental Ethicist: Making AI Human-Centered, looking at the same question of ethicsnot through the lens of public policy but through the eyes of those who create and code AI applications. Together, theyll show designers how human-centered approaches can build their ethical toolkit.

On Making Med-Tech More Creative

At its core, the art of medicine is a creative venture wherein humans aspire to help other humans. But all too often medical technologies make the overall healthcare experience feel mechanistic and impersonal. Some of the most interesting talks at SXSW will focus on AI in the arts. These sessions may offer valuable insights into resolving the dichotomy between the art and science of medicine.

Attendees can check out 3 Ways AI is Transforming the Music Industry for insights into how big data analysis, paired with human abstract reasoning, will change the future of music. Elsewhere, AI and Creativity: In Search of Genius examines how recent advances in AI have put within reach a world where art can be created and performed entirely by algorithms. Similarly, leaders from the Metropolitan Museum of Art will take on Art, AI, and Big Data, explaining how they made the institutions art collection more accessible, discoverable and useful.

On Making Med-Tech A Viable Healthcare Solution

On March 14, Ill contribute to the AI discussion at SXSW with a talk titled MedTech: Separating Reality From Hype. The goal is to help people understand why artificial intelligence has made precious few contributions to medical practice so far.

One explanation can be found in the two symbols currently associated with the medical profession.

If youre not familiar, the first symbol, called the Caduceus, features two snakes coiled around a short-winged staff. Its an ancient emblem that dates back to 1400 B.C.

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The other is the Rod of Asclepius, an wingless staff wrapped by a single snake.

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So, first logical question: Why snakes? Because they are reptiles that shed their skin annually, reminding us that its possible to regenerate and start anewa laudatory medical goal if there ever was one. And why a staff? Fair warning, the answer is a bit more stomach-churning. It involves an ancient medical treatment for patients infected by the Guinea worm (Dracunculus medinensis). The parasite enters the human body through the consumption of contaminated water, but doesnt surface until about a year later. Thats when the snake-like creature protrudes through the skin, creating a large blister that causes intense pain. Healers of the past would rupture the blister, wind the snakes head around a stick (the noble staff) and slowly pull the animal out.

Although these symbols are nearly identical, they have very different origins and meanings. The Caduceus is associated with Hermes and is recognized as the symbol of trade and commerce. By contrast, Asclepius was the Greek God of healing.

These two symbols represent a major clash in medicine today. Healthcare is, at once, a healing profession and a highly lucrative trade. Medical technologies, including AI, are caught in the middle. Those who focus creating business solutions often fail to address the most urgent problems that doctors and patients experience.

Hopefully, the creative and immersive environment of #SXSW2020 will inspire technology companies to put the needs of people at the center of future healthcare solutions.

Continue reading here:

How AI Can Live Up To Its Hype In The Healthcare Industry - Forbes