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Looking at health through the retina

From November 26th to 27th, the 7th China Emerging Media Industry Convergence and Development Conference hosted by Xinhua News Agency and Jinan Municipal People's Government, Xinhua News Agency New Media Center, CPC Jinan Municipal Party Committee Network Information Office, and Jinan Daily Press Group was organized in Jinan Held. Airdoc, the leader in the field of artificial intelligence in the health field, was invited to participate in this conference. At the conference, Zhang Dalei, the founder of Airdoc, shared "Health, A Clear Look" to many attending media guests, and also provided artificial intelligence products: Huixintong To provide real-time health risk identification services for on-site guests. Good health at a glance Nowadays, we are facing many health risk factors, such as low-headed people, high work pressure, high-intensity eyes, electronic screen and blue light injuries, three highs and chronic diseases appear younger. The chronic disease detection rate in China is very low, such as 114 million diabetics. A considerable part of the population does not know that they have diabetes or diabetic retinopathy. With Airdoc, you can quickly identify retinal health, experience a good experience, cover a wide range of health risk issues, and retain image data for easy review and comparison. 5G era, new opportunities for healthy development Airdoc Zhang Dalei said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency that the breakthrough development of 5G and artificial intelligence has brought new opportunities for development to disease prevention and treatment. Every day, everyone ’s body generates a huge amount of data. In the past network environment, it was difficult to monitor so much data in real time. And the maturity of 5G technology enables the whole process health management of prevention-treatment-rehabilitation. In the 5G era, Airdoc will better solve health monitoring and management tasks, help early detection, early intervention and early treatment of health problems, so that everyone can enjoy high-quality health services like air.

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Promoting the development of the healthy AI industry, Airdoc was selected as the most commercial potential technology company in China On November 9th, 2019, the "Kite Gravity" summit, which was hosted by Jia Zician, focused on "technical industrialization and industrial technology", was held in Beijing, and a red carpet award ceremony was held. With the continuous development of the healthy artificial intelligence industry, Airdoc was selected as one of the 20 companies with the most commercial potential in China. In the face of increasingly serious health problems, Airdoc is committed to enabling everyone to enjoy quality health services that are as equal as the air. Airdoc works with hospitals and experts to apply artificial intelligence to health care to identify and monitor health risks in high-risk areas such as cardiovascular, stroke, respiratory, neurological, chronic diseases and cancer. Airdoc AI Health Risk Identification products can perform more than 30 common eye and systemic diseases, lesion identification and risk prediction in real time based on the retina. It has been successfully deployed to hospitals, community health service agencies, medical institutions, insurance institutions, chain optical shops and other application scenarios around the world. Airdoc will continue to help everyone better monitor the health of the whole life cycle and actively support the health of the whole population.

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The highest honor in the field of artificial intelligence in China, Airdoc won the Wu Wenjun Award

"Wu Wenjun Artificial Intelligence Science and Technology Award" is nominated, recommended and declared by experts from various local institutes of artificial intelligence, national colleges and universities (research institutes), academic committees and working committees, academicians of the two academies, and scholars. It is hosted by the National Science and Technology Awards Office and sponsored by the China Artificial Intelligence Society. It is known as the “China's highest award for intelligent science and technology” and represents the highest honor symbol in the field of artificial intelligence. On October 21st, the winners of the 9th "Wu Wenjun Artificial Intelligence Science and Technology Award" in 2019 were officially announced. Airdoc won the "Wu Wenjun Artificial Intelligence Technology Progress Award (Enterprise Technology Innovation Project)". Professor Wu Wenjun is an outstanding scientist, master of mathematics, pioneer of artificial intelligence, pioneer and leader of intelligent science research in China, winner of the first National Science and Technology Award, academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and honorary chairman of China Artificial Intelligence Society. Airdoc has cooperated with dozens of top medical institutions at home and abroad, and has applied for the “Development and Clinical Trial of Artificial Intelligence Screening and Diagnosis System for Common Blind, Teratogenic and Lethal Diseases” with Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center of Sun Yat-sen University. project. Airdoc AI Health Risk Identification products can identify 30 common eye and system health risks and lesions, as well as predict the risk of multiple chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and stroke. The product can be tested in medical institutions, optician chain, and physical examination institutions, and reports can be issued in real time. The whole service is non-invasive, efficient and accurate, and can bring good service experience and health assessment to users, improve doctors' work efficiency and reduce medical treatment. Costs provide important support for the improvement of the health of the whole people. In the future, Airdoc will cooperate with the Wu Wenjun Award Working Group to establish a responsible mission of stimulating innovation and intelligent responsibility, creating a good atmosphere of respecting knowledge, respecting creation and respecting talents, and promoting artificial intelligence with full struggle and enthusiasm to enable more people to pass. Artificial intelligence better monitors your health.

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NBI Summit Tackles AI Innovation, Drives Healthcare Management Upgrades

The 2018 NBI Summer Innovation Summit was held by Pintu Group in Beijing on August 8th and 9th. The Summit’s theme was “Keeping up with the Rhythm of Innovation,” and the discussion ranged from planning and innovation trends in the business sector to health, education, tourism, and retail.

On the first day, the Canada Wellness Institute (CWI)’s China CEO Carrie Solmundson gave her keynote speech on international innovation and healthcare management reforms.

Solmundson stated that the CWI’s systematic health management can help the government effectively control healthcare spending while achieving the goals of “Healthy China 2030.” Her company has 22 years of experience in the field.

Society’s Pain Point

Under Chinese government policy, the government is responsible for almost all medical expenses, especially expenses related to chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The current high total cost of medical care, lack of effective disease prevention, and lack of chronic disease management has forced the government to consider alternatives. Moreover, China’s population is aging, chronic diseases are rampant, and many citizens have unhealthy lifestyles. Medical resources are not sufficient and many patients are not treated on time, exacerbating their conditions.

Speaking to the four hundred audience members, Solmundson said that today’s China resembles Canada twenty years ago. The huge cost of treating chronic diseases is overwhelming China’s public healthcare system, so the government must start thinking about how to prevent illness and lower the rate of disease. The system should focus on prevention instead of treatment. Just as Canada did twenty years ago, China will have to change the population’s unhealthy lifestyle and develop disease rehabilitation.

Pushing for Healthcare Reform

China’s medical resources are strained, so government is pushing for new medical reforms under the slogan of Big Healthcare. Many business opportunities have arisen from this decision. The internet has made China a fast-paced society, and healthy Chinese enterprises understand the significance of technology.

Solmundson believes that AI innovation is an important assistant for disease prevention and hospital rehabilitation. She views AI as an indispensable link in the future medical service supply chain. Through rigorous individual risk screening and health assessments, we can provide personalized prescriptions, give scientific and effective exercise advice, lead people to develop good eating habits and sleep patterns, and correctly understand their overall health. These conditions allow us to manage chronic diseases more effectively.

Famous Chinese Medical Technology Company Airdoc

Airdoc’s representative Fei Chen spoke about his company at the summit. Using guidance from medical experts, Airdoc’s deep learning computer image recognition AI formed a medical image recognition algorithm. The AI can improve doctors’ productivity and make medical health services more efficient.

About 5 million people die of diabetes annually worldwide, and on average one person dies from the disease every seven seconds. In China, diabetes is responsible for 12% of the nation’s healthcare expenditure, resulting in about 673 billion US dollars of expenses.

In China, there are about 114 million people with diabetes, which means that one out of every 10 people will be diabetic. In total there were about three thousand people attending the Summit, so amongst the audience nearly three hundred people are or will be diabetics.

Even celebrities often die of diabetes. Chiang Ching-kuo, a Taiwanese politician and the son of Chiang Kai-shek, couldn’t move in his later years because of diabetes. Although celebrities pay attention to their health, diabetes is still a common disease because it is difficult to detect. Only 30% of diabetics are aware of their condition, which means 7 in 10 are not. This is primarily because the existing method for testing for diabetes is cumbersome and costly.

Medical AI Tested in the Field

Time cannot erase the hardships of taking the first step. Instead, these hardships become carefully preserved memories.

CWI provides full lifecycle health management services for the entire population, including services for both members and non-members. Additionally, the company has 8-16 week chronic disease intervention programs, providing comprehensive medical examination services and health management services for corporate executives. There are also special services such as stop smoking programs, weight loss programs, and yoga classes. It took five years and strong data to convince the Chinese government to spend some of the limited healthcare budget on disease prevention to reduce the total cost of medical expenses.

To date, Airdoc is one of the few Chinese medical AI companies. For the past three years, the company has been building an electronic doctor assistant. Airdoc wishes to build the world’s largest doctor labelling network to train deep learning AI algorithms. After three years of continuous improvement, the algorithm can identify a variety of chronic diseases. Its medical experience is equivalent to a senior physician who has worked in medicine for 760 years and studied from more than 300 top medical experts.

Last year, Airdoc was invited to participate in Microsoft’s Build 2017. Company representatives travelled to six African countries by boat and served the nations’ myopia patients with Baodao, China’s largest optical chain.

A Gathering of Sages

The lively and worthwhile Summit captured the audience’s attention with innovative technologies. Jian Zhou, CEO of Microsoft’s Accelerator Shanghai, said that there is no doubt that global business is experiencing unprecedented changes. Using the internet, AI, VR, AR, and other technologies, innovative businesses are destroying, disrupting, and transforming traditional industries. The medical field is no exception. Only with innovation and continuous improve can health management survive this societal change.

With increased spending, high-level government backing, and regulatory system updates, the Chinese healthcare system has changed substantially. One or two policies are not sufficient, but systematic support will allow China to greet innovation with open arms. With medical innovation, China will play a part in constructing this new era.

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I’m assuming that [America's] lead [in AI] will continue over the next five years, and that China will catch up extremely quickly. So, in five years we’ll kind of be at the same level, possibly. It’s hard to see how China would have passed us in that period, although their rate of improvement is so impressively good.

Eric Schmidt, Ex-Executive Chairman of Google

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This January, Shanghai's leaders paid a visit to our Shanghai office! Here is a link to the original article published by CCIDNET on Jan. 18th, 2018. Since the article is in Chinese, we've provided a translation below.

Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission and Xuhui District Government express interest in Airdoc and artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence is now part of China’s national strategy. 2018 will be an important year for the full implementation of artificial intelligence. On the afternoon of January 12, more than ten leaders of the Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission and the Xuhui District Government visited the medical artificial intelligence company Airdoc to send best wishes for the new year.

In Airdoc’s Huaxin Science and Technology Park office in the Xuhui District, the leaders learned about the entrepreneurial environment, technology trends, and practical applications. They were given an overview of the company’s issues. The leaders expressed great interest in Airdoc’s chronic disease screening software.

Airdoc’s founder Dalei Zhang gave the leaders a detailed introduction on how artificial intelligence works and artificial intelligence’s role in healthcare. He provided comprehensive answers to the leaders’ concerns.

Shanghai moves towards becoming an AI industry leader

The magic of artificial intelligence has transformed various industries. Data fuels artificial intelligence, and Shanghai has huge databases for economics, finance, medical care, education, government management, and more. These datasets can be used by all kinds of industries. To advance the nation’s research, Shanghai actively seeks opportunities in artificial intelligence. For example, the Municipal Science and Technology Commission fully supports neuroscience-based AI research.

To embrace artificial intelligence, Xuhui District has researched and formulated special planning and support policies for the region’s AI development. The district believes results are driven by application, and Xuhui is committed to making Shanghai’s West Bank a global influence on AI. On August 30th last year, the 2017 Global (Shanghai) Artificial Intelligence Innovation Summit was held at the Xuhui Riverside Shanghai West Coast Art Center. Artificial intelligence has taken root in the Xuhui District and in Shanghai.

In November last year, Shanghai launched the “Implementation Opinions on Promoting the Development of a New Generation of Artificial Intelligence in the City” to establish a coordinated promotion mechanism led by the Municipal Economic Information Commission, Municipal Science and Technology Commission, Municipal Development and Reform Commission, and other relevant departments. All AI development uses deep learning to improve service capabilities such as diagnosis and treatment assistance, health management, and senior care.

The leaders’ Airdoc visit reflects the importance and support of artificial intelligence in Shanghai.

Airdoc actively promotes medical AI’s establishment

Last May, a major event occurred in China’s medical AI field. Airdoc and Shanghai Changzheng Hospital appeared in Seattle, becoming the first medical AI application to appear in the world's top technology stage. The strength of China's artificial intelligence medical technology is evident.

In an interview, Professor Ruili Wei from Shanghai Changzheng Hospital said that Airdoc products are very helpful and easy to use. He mentioned that his group of medical professionals can access the directly system in the hospital using cloud technology, enter some medical history information, and upload photos, and the system automatically gives an auxiliary reference.

When AI and medicine are fully integrated, there will be unprecedented changes in the entire healthcare industry. A good artificial intelligence model is worth promoting and emanating, to induce greater efficiency. Airdoc has piloted projects in numerous community health centers in Xuhui District and Jing'an District, which will be promoted in Shanghai. Airdoc will continue to provide quality medical services to the residents of Xuhui District and Jing'an District.

Airdoc and several partners cooperated to accomplish the national and regional goals of setting the groundwork for emerging industries and promoting accelerated AI development. Last September in the Shanghai Xuhui District, Airdoc and its partners organized the first International Medical Artificial Intelligence Conference, a pioneering development in the medical AI field.

The conference was highly regarded in healthcare and technology circles. More than 700 domestic and foreign medical AI industry academics, medical professionals, entrepreneurs, investors, and reporters actively participated in the discussion on how ground-breaking medical artificial intelligence developments are making China a global leader in the field.

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Making an algorithm that can only solve one complex problem is time-consuming and not very useful. With machine learning, the algorithm can teach itself how to solve a problem. An AI that can play Dota is fun, but what can we do with it? Anything we can teach that's about as complicated or less complicated. Once we make an algorithm that can learn, we can feed it thousands or even millions of examples, and the algorithm can learn to perform the task by itself.

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Airdoc recently participated in Vision China 2018, one of the world’s top ophthalmology events. We hosted a competition to pit our AI program against China’s leading ophthalmologists.

Expert team: expert eye doctors, led by Professor Mingwei Zhao of Peking University People’s Hospital.

AI team: general practitioners assisted by AI, led by Professor Feng Chen of Wenzhou Medical University.

The competition was divided into two rounds:

Correctly diagnosing 10 retinal images. For each image, judges would award a point to the team they felt was more accurate

Diagnosing 30 retinal images as quickly as possible

The First Round

The AI team took the lead by winning the first point, but Professor Zhao pushed back and immediately tied the score. As experts, Professor Zhao’s team had no problem scoring several points, but the AI team was also getting more familiar with Airdoc’s software. For the ninth question, every member of the two teams chose Stage Two Diabetic Retinopathy. The answers for the tenth image were once again all the same. In the end, the expert team received 7 points and won the round.

The Second Round

The first round was based on accuracy while the second was based on speed. Here, AI has a natural advantage. Airdoc’s software finished interpreting the 30 images in just 3 minutes with an accuracy of 91%, easily winning the round.

The Takeaway

Airdoc’s software is easy to use, fast, and accurate. This means that hospitals without ophthalmology departments can purchase a retinal camera and provide diagnostic services. Then, any patients with eye diseases can go to other hospitals for treatment. More people will get treatment early, potentially saving their vision!

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Airdoc’s representatives recently went to the first Novartis Elite Academy exchange conference in Kunming, also known as the ‘Spring City.’ Our Chief Medical Officer Yuzhong Chen spoke about AI in China’s healthcare industry. For more details, check out the link in the title!

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How are hospitals going to use AI in the future? Medical imaging is one of the easiest applications. With AI, doctors can make diagnoses much more easily, and even non-experts can provide a diagnosis. 

For example, diabetic patients primarily see endocrinologists, who can provide expert care. But, endocrinologists cannot diagnose diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular  edema (DME), cataracts, or glaucoma - all common eye diseases for diabetic patients. To get proper eyecare, diabetics must also go see ophthalmologists on a regular basis, but many patients do not due to long wait times or inconvenience. With Airdoc’s AI software, endocrinologists can make diagnoses as well as an eye specialist, with little additional training!

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IBM recently released Watson Beat, an AI that can automatically create music when given a simple tune! Take a listen.

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Take a peek into the origins of AI.

The original storytelling machine.

Thanks to a recently rediscovered article, we now know more about a research project that used a computer to generate original stories––more than 40 years prior to IBM’s creation of Watson. In the early 1960s, linguist Joseph E. Grimes began programming an IBM 650 Magnetic Drum Data Processing Machine to create stories. Grimes based his program on the “rules of folk tales.” Once programmed, the computer was then able to randomly piece different elements of the folk tales together to create new stories. While the tales it created where simple, they allowed Grimes to further his work, and continue his story.

See how it all worked->

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Airdoc is doing something similar to Deep Mind in China! See how AI is saving people’s vision.

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Google’s AI taught itself how to walk! The machine was never give any instructions on how walking should look like - everything it does was determined by itself, using trial and error. 

It looks pretty funny - watch and see!

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Three Types of AI Medical Imaging

Classification: The simplest, where a huge training sample size is used to differentiate weather an image is normal or not.

Detection: The sample size required is generally less than that for classification, but requires additional labeling effort. A doctor needs to look at and mark the overall problem areas in each image. Anything missed in this marking process will affect the overall detection accuracy.

Segmentation: Requires the greatest amount of manual effort, where doctors need to outline all lesion areas in each image. Certain types of lesions are relatively easy to label, but some are more difficult. It is possible that a single image may contain hundreds of lesions, marking them all manually would be too unrealistically big a workload, when in fact a doctor would usually simply look at the image to determine its severity.

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Airdoc! We will solve China's vision problem together.

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#Think | How the mind makes new ideas: Bending, breaking, blending | David Eagleman