A recent piece published in The Wall Street Journal digs into IBM Watson’s impact on healthcare in the six years since the software’s first public appearance. But much of the promise initially stirred up has failed to materialize, especially in oncology.

“In many cases, the tools didn’t add much value,” the report found. “In some cases, Watson wasn’t accurate. Watson can be tripped up by a lack of data in rare or recurring cancers, and treatments are evolving faster than Watson’s human trainers can update the system.” Further, “[n]o published research shows Watson improving patient outcomes.”

Still, organizations including the Department of Veterans Affairs and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center utilize Watson to suggest treatments for patients. Researchers are hoping that the technology can still have a significant impact on healthcare, but there’s still a long way to go.

Full article here.