Artificial intelligence is increasingly part of our lives, and so are anxieties about how it will change life as we know it.

However, AI also holds immense potential to improve our lives, particularly in healthcare.

AI's powerful image-processing capabilities are already helping healthcare professionals detect serious diseases early by accurately analysing medical images.

For example, AI algorithms significantly help radiologists spot malignant tumours, and in emergency rooms, some medical facilities use AI to spot embolisms and signs of stroke, which is crucial for minimising the risk of brain damage.

Dr Reza Shahamiri, a senior lecturer in Software Engineering at the University of Auckland, highlights that AI is not one technology but an umbrella term for several technologies.

Currently, it is dominated by machine learning algorithms, which enable computer software to learn to perform specific tasks independently.

Dr Shahamiri's passion lies in leveraging AI for a greater purpose: building AI software tools to empower individuals with disabilities and better equip healthcare professionals to support them.

Among his current projects is using AI to identify autistic children early, developing AI models to detect early signs of dementia by analysing speech patterns, and creating an AI platform that understands atypical speech.

According to Dr Shahamiri, "These are just a few examples of how we use AI to transform healthcare services to be more accessible and affordable, to relieve the pressure on our precious medical doctors and nurses, and give them mechanisms to support us better. This future is not science fiction; it's the exciting potential of AI in healthcare waiting to be realised."