Over the past decade, science has made huge strides in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). We see it in our cars, our games, and even our homes. In a new study published in Neurobiology of Aging, researchers now claim to be able to use AI to correctly predict if a person will develop Alzheimer’s disease through a computer-based algorithm that the AI uses.
During this study, researchers showed the AI brain scans of 270 volunteers and had it predict whether or not the volunteers would go on to develop Alzheimer’s. Researchers found that by using the algorithm, the AI was able to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease up to two years before any symptoms appeared. After 43 of the volunteers went on to develop Alzheimer’s, they found the AI was correct an astounding 84 percent of the time.
While these results show a promising start, researchers hope to, in the future, be able to train AI programs to recognize Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia even earlier than two years. Being able to predict Alzheimer’s years ahead of time means patients can start treatment as early as possible to slow the progression of the disease and perhaps even reverse it one day.
