Big Tech and AI are Quickly Coming for the Healthcare Industry
Tech firms are seeking patents for AI-powered medical devices.

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As AI weaves its way into healthcare, tech giants, startups and medical device firms alike are starting to see value in this teach – and may be looking to get some IP under their belts
Philips, for example, recently sought to patent a system for “detecting and monitoring neurodegenerative and neurological disorders” which relies on machine learning. This tech uses two kinds of sensors — one to measure electrical activity of the heart and another to measure physical movement – to collect data and feed it to two different computational models.
One model detects the presence of a neurological disorder, while the other tracks and predicts progress over time.
We’ve seen filings in the past with similar goals of bringing AI into healthcare: Philips’ previous patents include ER delay prediction and AI ultrasound tech; Google and Amazon have both sought to patent AI notetakers for doctors; and IBM filed an application for an AI-powered diagnostic tool.
And the interest extends outside of IP. Demis Hassabis, who leads both Google DeepMind and its spinoff Isomorphic Labs, said in January that he expects research and trials on AI-designed drugs to begin at some point this year. Amazon Web Services announced a partnership with General Catalyst recently with the goal of developing and deploying more AI tools in healthcare.
It makes sense that the major players want to apply their AI prowess to healthcare: Medical devices and health tech can be lucrative markets, with the market size for AI in healthcare only expected to grow. And as big tech firms seek to monetize their hefty AI investments, healthcare may be one avenue of several that they explore.