Will artificial intelligence soon take over the world? AI defines the ability of a computer system to perform tasks typically done by human intelligence. AI has become increasingly popular and, more recently, has been used to predict potential diseases up to 20 years in advance.

According to a collaborative study by scientists in the UK, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, and published in Nature, diseases such as cancer, skin disease and immune conditions may be preventable with AI predictions — revolutionizing health care.

Everyone has heard of ChatGPT. This software is a type of large language model — a fancy term for a category of AI. Similar LLM software, GPT-2, can predict over 1,000 diseases. LLMs use information they have been programmed to know to generate future predictions. In this study, the GPT-2 architecture was reprogrammed and extended to not only generate future predictions but to calculate the rate of disease progression per day.

This extension of GPT-2, known as Delphi, is used specifically in healthcare to make predictions. Researchers trained Delphi on data from 400,000 participants of the UK Biobank, a storage facility that houses biological samples and health information.

Delphi was found to be equally or more accurate than previous disease-predicting technologies. In particular, Delphi worked well when conditions followed predictable patterns of progression, such as most types of cancer. With more training, researchers suggest that Delphi may be able to aid in preventive healthcare treatment.

By predicting future disease trajectories, Delphi is an exciting software for the future of healthcare. Healthcare professionals may be able to implement preventive care for many diseases.

So, next time you use AI, think about the impact that it has on healthcare and the benefits it brings beyond quick help with your homework.