General-purpose AI insufficient for medical sector, health expert warns
NEVADA, UNITED STATES — Artificial intelligence (AI) is going to be the name of the game in healthcare in 2025, but people are advised not to get carried away by general-purpose AI.
At HIMSS25, Chris Althoff, the executive vice president of marketing at Emtelligent, stressed the need for distinct medical AI as opposed to the general AI systems due to the distinct issues that are encountered in the healthcare industry.
Specialized AI crucial for healthcare innovation
Althoff brought the attendees at HIMSS25 with a cautionary note regarding the use of AI while thanking them for their interest in the technology. He pointed out that general-purpose AI models are not sophisticated enough to understand the medical terminology and the complex workings of healthcare institutions.
“The healthcare IT space is crowded, especially with the growing buzz around AI,” Althaff said. “Focus on connecting with specialists who have deep expertise in healthcare, rather than those who have simply adapted general-purpose models.”
In Althoff’s opinion, healthcare organizations should work with partners who have particular knowledge and are willing to share it and develop it step by step.
He advised starting with small pilot projects that can generate real value within the first few months and, thus, generate a steering mechanism for future growth. These incremental successes can create an internal driving force toward innovation and alter the way workflows and clinical processes are managed.
It also highlights the need to align the use of clinical data to support decision-making and performance improvement.
Transforming clinical data into actionable insights
Emtelligent is a company that offers AI-based solutions for the healthcare sector with the goal of enhancing the usability of unstructured clinical data. Althoff explained that generic AI models are inadequate because “they lack the specialization needed to navigate medical terminology and the unique operational realities that exist across health systems, payers, pharma and the various other healthcare business models.”
Apart from AI, Althoff mentioned that healthcare organizations would still consider interoperability and data usage as top priorities. Increasing the flow of data has become essential as data has become strategic and strategic as a growth engine and revenue generator in the sector.
The application of AI is growing rapidly in healthcare markets around the world this year, and Althoff’s message is important. It highlights a key issue: the importance of selecting technologies that are suitable for the specific nature of healthcare when implementing them. The initial attractiveness of generic solutions can turn out to be illusory and ineffective when applied to real medical settings.
