Artificial Intelligence: How Will We Incorporate AI Into the Veterinary Industry?

AI is an inevitable part of technological innovation and advancement. But how can it be incorporated into the veterinary profession? And how welcome will it be?

At London Vet Show in November, vet and academic Henry Yoo urged veterinary professionals to engage with artificial intelligence (AI) to close the growing divide between the industry and other sectors.

Yoo told attendees that the industry is 20 years behind its human counterpart in the implementation of the technology. He cautioned against the growth of the technological gap and the dangers if the industry did not embrace the change.

“If we don’t get engaged with it, we are going to be so far behind.”

What is the potential impact?

In all sectors there is concern about the potential negative impact. AI’s rapid growth has sparked fears, principally regarding how AI and humans work together to benefit the industry while maintain job demand and quality of care.

An executive consultant for Infinity Medical Consulting in California and director of international development for Vetology, Dr Yoo said the technology is also in place across several areas of medicine, and rapid developing.

 “You haven’t seen a thing yet. It will continue to develop.”

So, how can we use this tool?

Yoo urged veterinary professionals to view the technology as a tool. He said that instead of seeing AI as a threat, it can be effectively incorporated into existing practise,.

He added that the scope of AI can be to assist clinicians in their practise. The tech can help inform decisions, offer the potential for earlier diagnosis – and therefore treatment – allowing for time savings and a higher quality and efficiency of treatment for client base.

“AI is not telling us what to do. We are still making the final decisions.”