Beijing—China has inaugurated its first artificial intelligence hospital town, a revolutionary medical facility where AI-generated doctors treat patients within a virtual environment. This development was officially announced by state media on Wednesday.
According to Philippines News Agency, this innovative project, dubbed the "Agent Hospital," has been developed by researchers at Tsinghua University. The hospital town features AI doctors, nurses, and patients, all represented by intelligent agents using large language models. These agents are designed to operate autonomously within a simulated setting, enhancing their proficiency in disease management through continuous learning and adaptation.
Liu Yang, the lead researcher of the Agent Hospital, explained the dual benefits of this system. It allows real doctors to gain experience by treating virtual patients, thereby reducing the risk to real individuals, while providing a robust training platform for medical students. The AI-driven agents are capable of managing the care of up to 10,000 patients in just a few days—a task that would typically require human doctors two years to complete.
The AI hospital town also serves as a research tool for simulating and forecasting various medical scenarios, including the spread and control of infectious diseases within a region. After six months of intensive development, the facility is close to completion and is expected to be fully operational by the second half of 2024.