Amit Man of DigitalOwl
An exclusive Tech Tribune Q&A with Amit Man (co-founder and CTO) of DigitalOwl, which was honored in our:
Tell us the origin story of DigitalOwl – what problem were you trying to solve and why?
My background is in machine learning and I have experiences with many Israel startups. As my brother Yuval, who at the time was a personal injury lawyer, described how a large amount of his time was spent manually reviewing medical records, I was convinced technology could help in saving time and effort in this process.
What was the biggest hurdle you encountered in your journey?
When we first started utilizing machine learning technology to medical records, we were starting from scratch. Not only has no one utilized medical records this way, but the different types of formats, data points, and conditions needed to be “learned” by the technology. We spent the first three years teaching the artificial intelligence (AI) with over 30 million pages of medical records and 46,000 conditions, medications, tests, and procedures. Along with tagging the medical records appropriately, we then used the natural language process (NLP) technology and the expertise of 10 medical students to provide the human connection to understand the context of what these words meant in the medical field. The learning continues to this day since there are always different formats, new tags, and the ever-expanding knowledge of medical conditions such as COVID-19 and the impact of the pandemic.
What does the future hold for DigitalOwl?
DigitalOwl ensures 95% accuracy with our NLP, which is continually monitored and QA’d by our medical experts. As we expand into other industries and uses for this technology, we strive to maintain this quality along with continued AI learning to best help those who need it.
What are your thoughts on the local tech startup scene in Portland?
Portland is a place where technology is embraced and appreciated. It wasn’t long before we were able to expand our presence in the U.S., showcasing our technology and helping the appropriate audiences to understand AI and NLP as it relates to medical records.
What’s your best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
Technology is a powerful tool and valuable asset. When harnessed correctly, it can help make people’s lives much easier.