Impact of Intelligent Personal Assistants on Veterinary Practices

Desklib provides past papers and solved assignments for students. This report explores the impact of AI on veterinary practices.

The Potential Impact of Intelligent Personal
Assistants on the Veterinary Industry

Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
Part one- Research......................................................................................................................................4
Part two- Brainstorming..............................................................................................................................5
Part three- Regulations and Ethics..............................................................................................................7
Part four- Disruption....................................................................................................................................9
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................13
References.................................................................................................................................................14

Introduction
In this research, the impact of intelligent personal assistants in the field of the veterinary industry will be
explained. The report will give brief about what is happening in the current veterinary industry and what
changes can be made after the introduction of digital or intelligent personal assistants. Many different
technologies related to intelligent personal assistants will also be explained.

Part one- Research
A digital personal assistant is also known as intelligent personal assistance is one of the most emerging
technologies in the current world. It is a kind of software application that interacts with a human in the
same way as the humans interact with another human. It is a digital personal assistant that has many
features of artificial intelligence that can reduce the efforts of human and can help humans to work in a
more efficient way. The main reason behind the development of this technology is to assist humans in
doing their day to day tasks in a better way. This technology uses resources from the internet for
answering the questions of the user by using natural language processing technology. Using intelligent
personal assistants many different tasks of the human beings like controlling the home using automated
devices, managing the to-do lists, setting and managing events of the calendar, etc. can be handled in a
most efficient way possible.
As artificial intelligence is one of the most emerging technologies in recent years and is being advanced
with every passing day, many multinational companies are inventing a different kind of intelligent
assistants with an aim of improving the lives of people around the world (Abraham, K. 2018). Some of
famous intelligent personal assistants developed by the companies are – Cortana by Microsoft, Alexa by
Amazon, Siri by Apple, and Google Assistant by Google. Over some last couple of years, with the
advancement in the capabilities of Natural Language Processing all these digital assistants are also
becoming more intelligent while assisting the work of humans by interacting with them. Google home
and Amazon’s Echo are some newly developed intelligent personal assistants that are able to interact with
humans in some of the best ways possible (Lalwani, M. 2019).
The industry of veterinary science is a medical industry of animals that work for the health care and
wellbeing of animals. Starting from the protection and prevention of the animals to the complex
procedures of doing surgery of animals, or doing some psychological analysis, everything related to the
medication of animals is done in the industry of veterinary science. With the increased population of
animal population, more researches are being done for making the medication process better for the
doctors as well as for the animals. The diagnosis process, in veterinary science, is similar in the way of
diagnosis in the medical science of humans. Even the complexity of treatment is also similar in both
branches of medical science. Both branches use some kind of technology that can help the doctors, in the
process of treatment and surgery.
Since the last 20 years, many advancements have been made in the field of veterinary industry.
Veterinary science has adopted and implemented many technologies of human medical science with an
aim of seeking best features of technology in the veterinary industry. Some of the major technological
adoptions in the field of medical science are –Magnetic resonance imaging that can help doctors in
scanning the brain, help in scanning tissues in case of surgery of animals which can help doctor for
performing successful surgeries without any mis-happening. Ultrasound is another technology used in
veterinary industry that can be used for the generation of digital images during cardiovascular surgeries
(Carrington. 2014). Implementation of all these technologies in veterinary industry has resulted in success
of medication for animals.

Incorporation of intelligent personal assistants in the industry of veterinary science can result in one of the
greatest inventions of all time. As the main goal of digital assistants is to make the life of humans simple
and better, they can also be used in the field of veterinary science which can help doctors as a better and
smart assistant and will try to give best solution for any kind of problem.
Part two- Brainstorming
The veterinary industry is considered to be one of the very sensitive industry as it has the involvement of
living beings like animals. Every work that has the involvement of natural lives must be handled in a
delicate way because any mistake during those works can cost life of a living being. Incorporation of
information technology in the industry of veterinary science have resulted in better treatment of animals
and helped the doctor for taking best decisions for treatment and surgery. Even after adding many
technological features in veterinary science, there is still some more technological advancement that can
be done. Industry of artificial intelligence is advancing at a great scale in each passing day. If the
technology of artificial industry will be incorporated in the industry of veterinary science, the results will
be some kind of miracles that has never happened before.
Some of new technologies that can largely impact the veterinary industry in a good way are:
Natural Language Conversion
In the field of medical and veterinary industry, the doctors have to deal with many kinds of complex
questions every day. This is the reason why doctors have to be continuously aware of the latest invention
in veterinary science. In such cases, the technology of intelligent personal assistants using natural
language conversation can be very helpful for the doctors. Doctors can ask the questions to the intelligent
assistants which find the answer to the question and gives the best possible answers in fractions of time.
The intelligent assistant can even behave like a live chat bot agent at the time of requirement during the
time of surgery of animals in the operation theatre.
The chatbot can help the doctors in many ways like finding the severity condition of the animal,
calculating the dose quantity of medicine as per the dose handling capability of the animal which will
ultimately help in making a rich database that is used in further information usage. For example, in case
when some unique medical problem has been found in any animal, about which the doctor has no idea,
chatbot find the best possible solution to the problem and give the response to the doctor using the natural
language conversion technology. The chatbot will not only give the solution to the medical problem but
also save the data in its database so that it can be used by the doctor next time when the same condition is
found in any animal. Using this technology, the precious time of doctors can be saved, and doctor can
utilize that time in giving better care to the animals.
Medical Robots
Robotics can be treated as the future of information technology. It can be stated that after 10 years all the
major work done the human will be done by robots and the quality of work will be much better-using
robots in comparison to the work done by humans. All the kind of work that a human does will be done

by the robots in the coming future in more professional way. Many industries have already implemented
robotics technology with an aim of handling the work more efficiently and the resultant outcomes were
much better as expected. Some of examples of the industries that have already implemented the
technology of robotics are manufacturing industry, agriculture industry, and food preparation industry.
Medical robots will be the future of medical science. Advancement in information technology has given
assurance to the people associated with medical science, that technology can help the doctors for
treatment in a very easy and efficient way. By taking the advantage of artificially intelligent agent at the
time of treating the patients all the negative issues related to the doctor like mental stress, hypertension,
frustration that a doctor may feel at the time of treatment will become nil as robots are emotionless
objects which will work in same efficient manner in every situation, either good or bad. Robots will be
able to handle the burden at the time of stressful situations, which a human doctor may or may not handle.
A robot can be any physical machine which can be used at the time of operation or surgery or it can be a
complete remote control robot which can perform the entire task that a doctor has to do. Starting from
interacting with the animals to checking their wellbeing condition a remote control medical robot can do
every kind of tasks or operation.
Machine learning
Machine learning is one of the areas of artificial intelligence that enables a machine to learn from its past
experiences that can be used for the future. It is a kind application which does not need to be programmed
explicitly but, will learn and improve itself from all the situations that the machine has faced. In the
industry of veterinary science involvement of machine learning can help doctors, surgeons and all the
other people related to the veterinary industry to diagnose all the health-related issues of the animals in
the much better way.
There are many different kinds of machine learning algorithms that can be used in veterinary industry for
helping the doctors in doing the work of veterinary industry in the best way possible. In machine learning,
there are various kinds of algorithms like- supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised
learning, and reinforcement learning. All the algorithms have different capabilities and are used in
particular situations. It is the responsibility of a doctor to choose the best applicable algorithm for every
situation by analyzing the situation and taking best decisions at that time.
Successful implementation of machine learning algorithms in the veterinary industry can result in the
completion of the complex task of veterinary industry in the best way possible. Many medical risks can
be resolved by the successful implementation of such machine learning algorithms. Most of the diagnostic
errors can be resolved with the implication of machine learning and can help in reducing the death rate
percentage of animals in the veterinary industry due to mistakes of a doctor (Sennaar, K. 2017).
Implementation of these algorithms will help veterinary industry in many ways like – knowing the patient
in better way, recognizing the causes of several major diseases like cancer and finding best solution to the
disease, finding the solution of rare diseases occurring in the animals the technology of facial recognition
software that can detect the genetic diseases just by scanning the facial tissues. Machine learning
algorithm can make perception regarding the diseases by sensing the surrounding environment;
algorithms can help in diagnosis of rare diseases of the animals and can also help the doctors for
treatment.

Part three- Regulations and Ethics
Market
 Medical robots have affected the veterinary industry on a great scale. As information technology is
advancing at a rapid speed, its involvement in many different industries is also increasing. Industries
like agriculture, manufacturing, etc. are already using robots on a high scale. Involvement of robots in
veterinary industry can totally change the current scenario of veterinary industry. The approach of
using medical robots can enhance the efficiency of veterinary industry. Most the surgeries of the
veterinary industry, when done by medical robot, can result in performing the surgery with better
precision.
 Medical robots are one of the most emerging fields of science and technology. The market of medical
robots is growing at a vast speed all around the world. Most of the specialist and authority of medical
science has accepted medical robots in the international market. All the drivers of the medical robots
have felt the importance of its involvement in the medical science and all the advantages by the usage
of this technology in veterinary industry.
 As the demand of advanced treatment is increasing in the veterinary industry, due to the high rate of
severe diseases occurring in animals, more surgeons are using medical robots as the work done by a
medical robot will be more sophisticated. According to the latest report, the industry of veterinary
science will be the future market of science and technology. With the increasing scope of robotics,
market of medical robot will be doubled in the coming future.
 It has been found that countries like United States and United Kingdom are the key players of
robotics market. Most of the market share of the robots is increasing due to the high usage of robotics
in many different industries. It has also been found that around 40% of the market of robotics is
increasing due to the high usage of robots in the medical field for surgeries and therapies.
Law
 With every new and advanced technology, there comes even greater responsibility for the way of
using those technologies. As medical robots are very beneficial in case of surgeries and treatment in
medical science, there may some situations occur which can cause a problem for the aspects involved.
There are some legal laws that must be followed while using medical robots. Violating the laws can
affect the life of a living being so it is very important to follow each and every law related to the
medical robot so that there can be best consumption of the technology.
 There can be situations of complications that can occur in case of violating the laws. Even the life of
an animal can be in danger when medical robots are not used correctly in the veterinary industry.
Robotic malfunctioning is one of the major issues arises in many situations which can affect the life
of a living organism. There may be an invocation of ethical issues related to medical robots that arise

when there is no specified responsibility for the controlling and handling the work. Many times, the
design of the system also results in some situations that may affect the proper medication process. So
a designer plays major role in the use of medical robots in the veterinary industry.
 The safety standards associated with medical robots are very crucial, mainly in the healthcare
industry. Specific standards applicability provides better development for both aspects i.e., for the
technology industry and for the veterinary industry. The safety standards associated with the medical
reports include hygiene, intelligence, and guidance. The medical robots must all these features for
enabling the best usage of the technology in the veterinary industry.
 Many trust issues may also while using medical robots. It is very important to develop a system that
can be trusted by the people. The animal must also feel safe and comfortable when robots are
operating on them. Lack of trust in technology is the main reason behind the want of human
interaction.
Norm
 Norms in any technology are very important to be focused as the norms control the functionality of
the system. Norm influence the interactivity of technology with the humans and other living
organisms associated with the system. Medical robots are being used all over the world in different
areas of medical science. Resulting in the popularity of technology in such a widespread area.
Efficient usage of medical robot in veterinary science can help in treating animals with delicate care,
responsibility and with best possible result.
 One of the major issues faced while the usage of medical robot in veterinary industry is to understand
the emotions of animals at the time of treatment. Every organism has feelings and emotions. When
there was such medical kind of systems in the veterinary industry, doctor was the only person
responsible for the performing surgery or treatment of the animals. At that time doctors totally
understand the feeling of animal. But in case of robots, they cannot understand the sentiments of
robots. So the major need is to develop medical robots in such a way that any action done by the
robot will not affect the animal in any negative way. Resolving this issue and another issue that is
faced in veterinary industry can help in complete utilization of technology in best possible way.
Architecture
 Medical robots totally depend on the architecture using which they have been designed. It specifies
the functionality of the robot when they are implemented in the veterinary industry. The architecture
of the medical robot should be designed by keeping every aspect of the system into the mind. The
architectural feature of the robot is important for the successful implementation of medical robot in
veterinary industry. Veterinary industry is a very sensitive industry as it deals with working on the
living organism so everything related to the architecture should be designed with a great focus.

 Every action of the robot can cost the life of animal so better architecture is not only the condition,
but it is the responsibility of the designer and developer. Designer and developer of the medical
robots must keep in mind that they are designing a system that will replace the work of a human. So
process of development should focus on every minor detail that should be focused and highlighted.
Part four- Disruption
All the work done in a veterinary industry is totally dependent on humans. Starting from the fixing of
appointment to, treating an animal or doing some surgeries of animals, everything is in the hands of
doctors. Every action that they do will reflect on the wellness of the animal. In the industry of veterinary
science at the knowledge and presence of mind of doctor is very important as the animal cannot speak
about the medical problem it is facing. So it is the responsibility of a doctor to find out the medical issues
that the animal is facing and based on those issues proper medication should be given to the animals.
Many changes have been faced after the involvement of robots in veterinary industry.
The process that veterinary industry was following before the introduction of medical robots includes:
Appointment
Appointment is being made by the owner of the animal for meeting with doctor. It is used to be done
either by standing in a long queue for giving names or by contacting the doctor by calling them through
their contact numbers. Sometimes the process becomes time-consuming as the doctor may be busy in
treatment of other animals. After fixing the appointment the owner can take his pet to the doctor.
Analyzing symptoms
The doctor will analyze the problem that the animal is facing and then find out the most common
symptom that he can relate to some disease. By analyzing the symptoms the doctor finds outs that may be
the cause of disease and can be done for curing that disease.
Take Decision
As the doctor has analyzed all the symptoms occurring in the animal, he makes a final decision about the
disease and gives comment about what has happened to the animal. Based on this decision, further
medication will be provided to the animal.
Prescription
After making the final conclusion about the disease happened to the animal, the doctor gives medical
prescription by specifying the name of some medicines that can cure the disease. The choice of prescribed
medicine is made by the knowledge the doctor has. Sometimes there may be some situations where the
doctor is unable to give right medicine and with the right dose which may cost the life of animal.
Surgery

In case there is a need to do some surgeries on the animal, the doctor along with some helper, like nurses,
do surgery of the animal using handheld equipment (Hunt, G., 2018). At the time of doing surgeries,
everything has to be done with delicacy and care. The doctor has to do surgery in full hygienic manner as
there are great chances of infection to occur.
Taking care
When the animal has been admitted to the hospital, it is the duty of a doctor to take proper care of the
animal. At that time every little chance in the behavior of physiology of animal should be noted down so
that proper treatment can be given to the animal.
Checking wellness
Even after the completion of treatment, a wellness check-up has to be done. The check-up is done find out
whether the animal has been recovered from the disease or not. If there is a recovery in the condition of
animal, no further medication is provided otherwise more medication needs to be done.
After the introduction of medical robot in veterinary industry, many works which were previously done
by the doctors is replaced by the robots. Changes found after the implementation of medical robots in
veterinary industry are as follows:
Figure 1: Doctor in veterinary industry

Appointment
At the doctor’s side, medical robot will be the one who will attend call of pet’s owner. The robot will ask
questions regarding the problem that the animal is facing, robot will also ask about the favorable time for
the meeting. After the complete conversation, a meeting will be fixed between the doctor and the animal
and its owner.
Analyze Symptoms
The medical robot can analyze the condition of animal in more efficient way than a doctor. The medical
robot will also sense the surrounding of the animal and after analyzing the symptoms the robot will for
the type disease matching to the symptoms in its database (Weber, A.S., 2018). The database of a medical
robot is very powerful which gives best result for every problem.
Make decision
A medical robot will take the decision by the learning algorithms designed by the developer. Decisions
can be made either by supervised or unsupervised learning algorithms.
Prescription
A robot can also prescribe medicine according to the dose handling capacity of the animal. Medical robot
can analyze minor details in the animal and can give best prescription about the medicine as per the
disease.
Surgeries
A medical robot can do the surgery in more efficient and delicate manner. There is no chance of infection
when surgeries are done the medical robots as there will be no need for hand-held tools.
Taking care
At the time of caretaking, medical robots are the best. They can sense what animal wants and can give
best care to the animal. There will be no delay for giving medicines as remainders are their memory.
Checking Wellness
Medical robots make a regular wellness graph for the animal. Whenever the wellness graph reaches to the
point of expected wellness, medical robot assumes that now the animal is completely fit and well.

Figure 2: Medical Robot in veterinary industry
Involvement of medical robot in veterinary industry can bring many advantages to the doctors as well as
to the animals. There is greater scope for successful surgeries in case medical robots are involved in the
process. A better understanding can be made between the animal and robot when can never happen with
the doctors. As the doctors cannot understand how an animal feel but a robot can understand by analyzing
the facial expressions of the animal. All such advantages prove that medical robots can be very in
veterinary industry.