51. Artificial intelligence in endoscopic surgery

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the dominant computer technology, driving innovation in almost all industrial and societal sectors in the early 21^st century. The options for AI in healthcare are explored on a large scale, and numerous successful applications are brought to market. Surgery is not a frontrunner in this field because diagnosis is often apparent and surgical images, with constantly changing illumination and quality and tissue deformation are a huge challenge for self-learning systems. Nonetheless, options are apparent in decision making and preparation, during surgery, and in evaluation and prognosis after surgery. In this chapter, the core concepts are explained and options for the complete surgical process are described.