Contrary to popular belief, artificial intelligence and machine learning technology is not currently capable of destroying humanity as we know it. Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and automation in all its forms could, however, serve as the most powerful tools in our toolbelt in the world of healthcare IT. These technologies help us to manipulate, interpret, and manage data in ways we never could.

Amazon’s Alexa, the virtual voice assistant sitting in many a living room – roughly 8 million households, that is – may soon also sit in many hospital rooms or physician’s offices. Amazon’s new “health & wellness” team, for instance, aims to make Alexa a valuable health and healthcare tool for all. (It is perhaps no coincidence the global voice recognition market is estimated to reach nearly $127 billion market within the next six years.) But massive challenges – such as HIPAA restrictions and data regulations – may hinder Alexa’s potential to collect, streamline, and make sense of real-time patient data.

The chatbot phenomenon has finally exploded in healthcare, and it is poised to be a goldmine of labor savings and improved patient engagement. Most of us have interacted with chatbots for years. Remember the last fraud alert text from your bank to verify a transaction? Yes, that was a bot. Some of us are old enough to remember when a live human used to make those calls. Even that simple chatbot saved the banking industry millions, and many similar opportunities exist in healthcare. What’s more, chatbots aren’t even all that hard to build anymore.