The advent of artificial intelligence and robotics have open up new dimensions in healthcare. It improves speed and accuracy of diagnosis, efficiency and allocation of resources and promote personal health of patients. The use of AI-assisted colonoscopy in detecting adenoma, characterization of colonic polyps and the interpretation of capsule endoscopy images are major advancements. Furthermore, the use of whole-slide imaging (WSI) in histopathology is another emerging disruptive technology. Risk assessment and triage of care is also being used increasing in predicting the outcome of conditions such as gastrointestinal bleeding, cancer chemotherapy and other GI conditions. The combination of clinical data, endoscopic image and continuous data fed from electronic health-record will give a dynamic algorithmic stewardship. Yet there are several challenges that needs to be addressed 1. Data security and privacy, 2. Black-box clinical decisions, 3. Trust between patients, healthcare provider and machines, 4. Legal responsibility and liability, just to name a few. If these technology can finally be utilized in daily clinical practice, doctors and nurses will be able to offer more humanistic care to patients leading to larger satisfaction. (Artificial intelligence in gastroenterology: where are we heading?

JJY Sung, NCH Poon - Frontiers of medicine, 2020)