Hitachi starts pilot program using AI for preventive care
Hitachi has begun a pilot program, which will use an AI system to predict the risk of multiple lifestyle-related diseases on a selected﻿ group of employees. The system takes 150 pieces of medical data and analyses them for signs of 20 diseases, that include high blood pressure and hardening of arteries and﻿ diabetes. According to the report﻿, the system aims to predict an employee's five year chance of developing one of the diseases, meaning the company can encourage lifestyle changes. The aim is to maintain a healthy workforce, reduce medical costs and the﻿ costs associated with employees being off sick.

TOKYO -- Crunching a vast amount of medical data for signs of illness takes time and effort, but recent technological advances in artificial intelligence are set to make the process more efficient.

Japanese conglomerate Hitachi and Tokyo's Keio University are among those at the forefront of this research. Unlike conventional data analysis, AI can detect signs of multiple diseases, including heretofore unknown warning signs.