Artificial intelligence: do we really need it in pulmonary function interpretation?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science that was developed in the 1950s with a goal of imitating the human ability to solve complex problems. AI has been utilised in pulmonary medicine for almost two decades and its utilisation continues to expand. A short list of terminology used in AI is presented in table 1. AI can help in making diagnoses and predicting outcomes in pulmonary diseases based on clinical data, chest imaging, lung pathology and pulmonary function testing [1]. More recently, the application of digital technology played an important role during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitals across the globe turned to digital care delivery and many technological innovations were rapidly developed and introduced. There was an overall increase in the use of big data and AI to improve diagnostics [2]. For example, the DRAGON project was launched in collaboration with the European Respiratory Society (ERS) with the aim of using AI and machine learning to support precise COVID-19 diagnosis and prognosis [3]. It is inevitable that we as healthcare professionals will have to incorporate AI techniques. The risk of becoming overly dependent on AI techniques is real and should be diminished by transparency and collaborative oversight of all who are involved. https://bit.ly/423dWg7