If you can develop AI to use it to uplift society, In which areas will you use it?
Each person must have a different idea, but if you ask Mr. Siudol Matyakur, the co-founder of Cariva Company ( CARIVA ) Thailand Co., Ltd., a start-up company Leader in the construction of health information networks He has only one answer, which is to use AI to improve the Thai public health industry.
Why does he want to elevate the medical field? What is Cariva doing to uplift society? You can follow this interview now.
A man with a robot is a passion.
Mr. Siudol said that he has been interested in cutting-edge innovation for a long time. Starting with a love of robots, especially Gunpla robots or plastic Gundam robots, then a childlike preference leads to interest in other technologies. Therefore, he decided to pursue a bachelor's degree at the Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University.
This is the place itself. He joined a robotics club on campus. This allowed them to know and learn from their seniors about the science of making artificial intelligence robots. (Robotics AI) until he went to the Thailand Robot Building Championship. "Robo Cup" and not just domestic competitions. He also went to the World Championships in the United States before winning the second prize.
Looking back, He finds that his team is just a small undergraduate student, facing tough competitors from all over the world. The fact that they were able to win this award Therefore, it is quite a matter of pride.
Because I have always realized that "robots and AI are passions". After graduating, Mr. Siudol wanted to work as a full-fledged robot. So he put this dream aside and quickly find a stable job to support himself and his family. This has led to the work of PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited or PTTEP (PTTEP). Working as a Project Engineer on an oil rig for many years.
Years later. When life starts to fall into place, it is suitable for PTTEP. There is a plan to open a subsidiary, AI Robotics Ventures. So he came up with the idea. Take the dream of creating a groundbreaking invention and present it to PTTEP management.
And the rest of it is history, because he has become one of the pioneers of a new company under the PTTEP group to innovate medical AI, especially Cariva.
Empty glass who believes that medical technology is Matter
Mr. Siudol said that there are two main reasons why he wants to develop AI for medical use.
The first He wants to save the lives of Thai people. Second, he sees that this business is becoming a global trend and will help the Thai economy grow immediately.
"This market is growing rapidly, and recently there have been many unlocks, whether it is AI or Genomics (the study of the entire genome of an organism), and during the COVID-19 pandemic, people have turned a lot of attention to healthcare. The more it makes the market grow. So I think we have to seize this opportunity immediately."
But did you know that the first moment he was determined to bring Cariva to the next level in the Thai medical industry? He himself had no knowledge of medical treatment! This makes him have to urgently seek more knowledge so that he can work with people in the industry who know about
"When I was working at the EPA. The company sent me to study Innovation Design at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), where he taught me to understand businesses thoroughly. As we understand the medical business more and more deeply, Learn from a friend who is a doctor. Learn from many medical professionals. It was found that this industry is very specific. We have understood what medical professionals really need, so they know who to approach. Who can I talk to to help create innovation?"
"From the first day I came empty. Looking back, I find that learning with an empty glass that day was very useful and made Cariva what it is today," said Mr. Siudol with joy.
No doctors, no Cariva, no AI for medicine.
Cariva is now celebrating its 3rd anniversary. Starting during the COVID-19 pandemic The epidemic is just right. It is an insight that can expand the business in many ways.
The first lesson that Mr. Siudol and his team learned was that if you want to create medical AI, you must have medical knowledge first, otherwise you will not be able to create an effective AI.
It may not seem like a big deal in the eyes of many people, but it is actually very important.
"If we want to use AI in medicine, we need doctors to help us choose which texts we should let AI learn from. What knowledge is there? People who do not work in this field will never know which textbook to use, and it is not enough to talk to a doctor alone. You have to talk to many people to be comprehensive. Therefore, if there is a lack of knowledge of all personnel. We will not be able to reach the goal. Especially if there is a condition of limited time."
"If I want to create artificial intelligence without using the medical knowledge accumulated over the years, I can do it, but it may take up to 3 years to succeed.
The second lesson is that Thai people are often reluctant to spend money to take care of their health.
"Suppose there is an AI that helps people diagnose diseases on their own, but they only have to pay 20 baht, Thai people will not pay. Currently, Thai people who take care of their own health, whether it is exercising, going to the gym, or taking vitamins, are a very small segment compared to the majority of the country's population, unlike in Europe or in the United States, where everyone has to pay to be healthy."
"So it's a challenge in terms of how do we survive the business? We have to find out who is willing to pay for good health."
And from the search of Cariva, it was found that although there are a small number, there are quite a lot of people who are ready to pay. Hospitals, including many companies that are willing to pay employees to access health care for free. It is a welfare that attracts employees to want to come to work, for example.
And because Cariva discovered this important factor quickly, the company was able to gain a foothold and stand firmly today.
AI is like a racing car, don't leave it in the wrong hands.
When asked about the growth of Cariva at what point it has reached, Mr. Siudol said that it has come quite a long way since the day it was supported by PTTEP. It is in the process of upgrading AI to Deep Tech. By collaborating with doctors from Siriraj Hospital to help develop medical AI to improve the health of Thai people.
"We collaborated to develop a model called Multimodal Analysis, and we intend to create AI to help doctors diagnose diseases in hospitals more accurately and with low errors.
Despite how versatile AI may seem, the co-founder of Cariva insists that there must be a doctor to treat patients anyway, and no one should use AI to make it easy for them to use.
"AI is like a Formula 1 racing car, and doctors are professional drivers, if we give an F1 car to the general public, it can be dangerous. We must adhere to the principle of Put the Right AI on the right driver."
Another thing to watch out for is AI that is trained with knowledge from abroad. It will not be able to be applied effectively to the context of Thai society.
"For example, when analyzing the X-ray results of Thai people's bodies, it will be found that the body of Westerners has a different physique than that of Eastern people, making the information wrong or not being used effectively. Therefore, before using it, we must adjust it to suit the information Thai people have. Don't import all without deploying it."
"Or it doesn't have to be AI, but some diseases are only available in certain areas. Maybe Thai people and foreigners are sick with the same disease. But Thai doctors and foreign doctors dispense drugs differently. Each area has a medical guideline that has been adapted to the context of treating people in each country."
The next issue that worries him is that people will be afraid of using AI and not being able to use it, and if any organization issues a ban on it, it will destroy the opportunity to make Thailand compete effectively with the villagers.
"Don't forget, people all over the world are using AI. If we are the only country that does not use it, we will not be able to develop new innovations or compete with anyone on an equal footing. Don't think it's a toy. Again, AI is like an F1 racing car. Knowing how to dictate what to do to get the most accurate answer will make no mistakes," confirms the co-founder of Cariva.
Predicting the future of Medical Tourism is an opportunity for Thai society.
When asked about the future of how the use of AI in medicine will grow. Mr. Sigodol believes that the AI developed in Thailand is currently strong and growing. It will definitely be comparable to foreign AI in the near future.
"I expect that in the next 3-5 years, what will definitely happen is Personalize Care, which will not be possible without the growth of AI.
The issue of Medical Tourism is also something that the founder of Cariva predicted that would happen, or in fact, it has already happened because nowadays there are a lot of foreigners who come to Thailand for health check-ups or treatment for various diseases, whether minor or serious, because the cost of treatment in Thailand is many times cheaper.
And if supported in the right way, it will make the industry's money grow many times higher.
so Any doctor who has never used AI at all, Mr. Siudol suggested that they should start studying and try to use it at least basically.
But if you still don't know how to start? A simple tip is to look at the credibility of the AI developer first. Who is the cooperation with? The more skilled doctors a developer can work with, the more likely it is that AI will make it easier for doctors to do their jobs and treat patients more accurately.
And if anyone thinks that Cariva is reliable from the joint development of AI with Siriraj Hospital, Mr. Sigodol is very happy to give advice directly. If anyone is interested in using it, you can contact us.
"If there is anything that I and the organization can do to help improve the Thai public health industry, I am ready to support everyone to the end." Cariva co-founder concludes
