Latest news with #MicrosoftAIDiagnosticOrchestrator
Business Insider
6 hours ago
- Health
- Business Insider
Microsoft says its new health AI beat doctors in accurate diagnoses by a mile
Microsoft said its medical AI system diagnosed cases more accurately than human doctors by a wide margin. In a blog post published on Monday, the tech giant said its AI system, the Microsoft AI Diagnostic Orchestrator, diagnosed cases four times as accurately as a group of experienced physicians in a test. Microsoft's study comes as AI tools rapidly make their way into hospitals and clinics, raising questions about how much of medicine can or should be automated and what role doctors will play as diagnostic AI systems get more capable. The experiment involved 304 case studies sourced from the New England Journal of Medicine. Both the AI and physicians had to solve these cases step by step, just like they would in a real clinic: ordering tests, asking questions, and narrowing down possibilities. The AI system was paired with large language models from tech companies like OpenAI, Meta, Anthropic, and Google. When coupled with OpenAI's o3, the AI diagnostic system correctly solved 85.5% of the cases, Microsoft said. By contrast, 21 practicing physicians from the US and UK — each with five to 20 years of experience — averaged 20% accuracy across the completed cases, the companyadded. In the study, the doctors did not have access to resources they might typically tap for diagnostics, including coworkers, books, and AI. The AI system also solved cases "more cost-effectively" than its human counterparts, Microsoft said. "Our findings also suggest that AI reduce unnecessary healthcare costs. US health spending is nearing 20% of US GDP, with up to 25% of that estimated to be wasted," it added. "We're taking a big step towards medical superintelligence," said Mustafa Suleyman, the CEO of Microsoft's AI division, in a post on X. He added that the cases used in the study are "some of the toughest and most diagnostically complex" a physician can face. Suleyman previously led AI efforts at Google. Microsoft did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Will AI replace doctors? Microsoft said in the blog post that AI "represents a complement to doctors and other health professionals." "While this technology is advancing rapidly, their clinical roles are much broader than simply making a diagnosis. They need to navigate ambiguity and build trust with patients and their families in a way that AI isn't set up to do," Microsoft said. "Clinical roles will, we believe, evolve with AI," it added. Tech leaders like Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates have said that AI could help solve the long-standing shortage of doctors. "AI will come in and provide medical IQ, and there won't be a shortage," he said on an episode of the "People by WTF" podcast published in April. But doctors have told BI that AI can't and shouldn't replace clinicians just yet. AI can't replicate physicians' presence, empathy, and nuanced judgment in uncertain or complex conditions, said Dr. Shravan Verma, the CEO of a Singapore-based health tech startup. Chatbots and AI tools can handle the first mile of care, but they must escalate to qualified professionals when needed, he told BI last month.
AU Financial Review
15 hours ago
- Health
- AU Financial Review
Microsoft claims AI diagnostic tool can outperform doctors
London/San Francisco | Microsoft has built an artificial intelligence-powered medical tool it claims is four times more successful than human doctors at diagnosing complex ailments, as the tech giant unveils research it believes could speed up treatment. The 'Microsoft AI Diagnostic Orchestrator' is the first initiative to come out of an AI health unit formed last year by Mustafa Suleyman with staff poached from DeepMind, the research lab he co-founded and which is now owned by rival Google. Financial Times
Mint
18 hours ago
- Health
- Mint
Microsoft claims its AI Diagnostic Orchestrator outperformed 21 doctors, got 85.5% of diagnoses right
Microsoft has introduced a new artificial intelligence (AI) system that it says can diagnose some of the most difficult medical cases more accurately and at a lower cost than human doctors. The system, called the Microsoft AI Diagnostic Orchestrator (MAI-DxO), was tested using case studies published by the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). These cases are known for being particularly complex and usually involve teams of specialists. According to Microsoft, the AI got the correct diagnosis 85.5 per cent of the time, compared to just 20 per cent for a group of experienced doctors from the US and UK. As more people turn to digital tools for medical advice, the company says it sees over 50 million health-related searches every day across its services like Bing and Copilot. To test the system, Microsoft created a new challenge called the Sequential Diagnosis Benchmark (SD Bench), based on 304 real NEJM cases. The cases were turned into step-by-step scenarios, where the AI or a human doctor could ask questions or order tests before making a diagnosis. Each test had a virtual cost, helping to measure both accuracy and how wisely resources were used. Microsoft tested several top AI models, including OpenAI's o3, Claude, Gemini, Llama, and DeepSeek, both alone and as part of MAI-DxO. The orchestrator system works by combining different models to act like a team of doctors, sharing ideas and narrowing down possible diagnoses. The best results came from using MAI-DxO with OpenAI's o3 model, the tech giant stated. Reportedly, the results showed that the AI not only diagnosed more cases correctly but also did so with fewer and more cost-effective tests than the doctors involved in the study. However, Microsoft admitted the research has its limits. The tests focused on rare and complex cases, not everyday health problems. Also, the doctors were not allowed to use any support tools like books or the internet during the test, unlike in real-world situations where such resources are often used. Other tools developed by the company include RAD-DINO, which helps improve radiology processes, and Dragon Copilot, a voice assistant for doctors. Microsoft says it is now working with health organisations to test its AI in real clinics and hospitals. Before any wider use, the technology will need to meet safety standards and get approval from regulators.
