Can AI (synthetic intelligence) assist us shed some pounds?


Artificial intelligence opens the door to a future with individualized dietary recommendationsExperts warn of the dangers of asking AI for well being and medical recommendation”There isn’t any espresso for everybody”, warn specialists who imagine that this expertise may be complementary to vitamin professionals

Artificial intelligence opens the door to a future with individualized dietary suggestions

Making artificially clever meals choices is a chance that specialists see getting nearer and nearer. Applications resembling DayTwo, which makes use of synthetic intelligence to manage blood glucose, and even ChatGPT, which proposes vegan menus with concepts for breakfast, lunch and dinner, already supply attainable options on this regard. “The use of machine studying opens the door to large-scale personalization. It additionally opens the door to having the ability to have a holistic imaginative and prescient of the functioning of the physique,” says Josep Curto, professor of Computer Science, Multimedia and Telecommunications Studies on the Universitat Oberta Catalonia (UOC). “We are within the first steps of advances that we’ll in all probability see within the subsequent 5 to 10 years as a result of many features nonetheless have to be improved,” he warns.

Regarding the way it works, the UOC professor who’s an professional in massive knowledge explains that this sort of software has usually been skilled with massive quantities of person knowledge, beneath comparable situations, so as to classify it accurately and be capable of make suggestions. “In addition, they need to be scientifically rigorous trial use instances (based mostly on the usage of synthetic intelligence). When we begin utilizing them, we share our knowledge from a specific measurement in order that the system classifies us appropriately. The extra knowledge we share , the higher the profiling can be and we will have a historic evolution of the impression of the suggestions. For instance, within the case of DayTwo, first a fecal pattern is analyzed to sequence the microbiome after which glucose measurements are launched.”

Risks and failures of asking AI for well being recommendation

However, at the moment, specialists warn that there’s nonetheless an extended method to go and that the shortage of rigorous scientific research is a problem to beat. “It is already very troublesome to adapt a food plan individually to an individual and there’s nonetheless a whole lot of ignorance about particular person metabolism in relation to the vitamins that every of us ingests,” warns Carme Carrion, professor of Health Sciences Studies on the UOC, and do not forget that two individuals can eat the identical factor and the impression is totally different relying on the totally different particular person physiological parameters of every one. “These are issues which might be realized, they’re found and little by little they’re built-in, however exactly the topic of diets has been topic to many fashions and sometimes with out adequate scientific proof to help it,” explains the researcher on the eHealth Center of the UOC.

Artificial intelligence is not going to change the position of the nutritionist, however can be a help instrument for this

In his opinion, if there have been a man-made intelligence software that solely thought-about good-quality scientific articles, made with sturdy scientific methodology research and tailored to particular varieties of individuals, there can be a subject to open up, “however it’s not actuality to Today’s date There isn’t any such factor as “espresso for everybody”, and synthetic intelligence algorithms are sometimes developed with the final inhabitants, not with the final inhabitants that suffers from sure pathologies, and the final inhabitants primarily from sure high-income nations and non-vulnerable populations Therefore, there are populations that can’t but be represented by these algorithms as a consequence of lack of earlier research.”

Artificial intelligence algorithms are sometimes made with the final inhabitants, not with the final inhabitants that suffers from sure pathologies

It can be the opinion of Josep Curto, who warns that among the many attainable failures of this sort of software is the actual fact of not having a holistic imaginative and prescient of the person or affected person, “so the suggestions, which may be constructive for weight reduction, might produce unwanted side effects, resembling allergic reactions or irritation,” or that, since synthetic intelligence programs are correlations of information, suggestions merely based mostly on knowledge – and never corrected by scientifically rigorous research – might not be right

Artificial intelligence programs are knowledge correlations, suggestions merely based mostly on knowledge – and never corrected by scientifically rigorous research – might not be right

In addition, there are different potential dangers related to monetization. As Josep Curto explains, the options, that are usually user-oriented, if they aren’t able to monetizing from them, search for mechanisms which might be normally dangerous to customers. “For instance, promoting person knowledge to 3rd events for profiling or recommending merchandise, from which they get a fee, via the platform which may not be helpful to customers, one thing that has already occurred on platforms resembling Facebook, Twitter or others that they supply customers with much less and fewer worth. Even ChatGPT/Bing goes to introduce a monetization mechanism based mostly on promoting as a result of they’re programs with a excessive price of coaching, upkeep and evolution”, affirms the UOC professor.

future options

Solving these difficulties is the primary problem within the opinion of the crew of specialists, who affirm that it’s a multidimensional downside that requires a number of approaches. According to Josep Curto, so as to enhance this sort of functions it will be essential to work on three features:

Conduct bigger research that incorporate extra layers of information, resembling sleep, train, stress, microbiome, and medical historical past, to find out underlying dangers, amongst others. Create the required regulation to assist customers and organizations use apps that they are surely based mostly on scientifically rigorous testing. In this sense, will probably be essential to create certification requirements. Include explainability and interpretability mechanisms in order that the person (or the person’s physician) can validate whether or not the suggestions make sense or not.

However, even overcoming these difficulties, synthetic intelligence is not going to change the position of the nutritionist, however can be a help instrument for it. “Artificial intelligence is not going to change any career. What will occur is that professionals who don’t use synthetic intelligence as a instrument that helps them when making choices are those that may grow to be out of date, however so long as we speak about synthetic intelligence sturdy and extra appropriate than what we are able to have at the moment”, says Carme Carrion.

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