The conversation with my Uber driver leaving the airport in Chicago en route to the American Academy of Pediatrics annual meeting Me: “So I'm headed to the Marriott Marquis in Chicago. That's the new one by the convention center. You have that, right?” Uber driver: “Actually I don't pay attention to where riders are going. I just follow this (points to phone). ... Continue Reading about Technology and Our Lack of Direction
The Man Machine Dichotomy
Check out Where does the Doctor Stop and the Computer Begin? by Jim Salwitz over on KevinMD. I adore Dr. Jim Salwitz. He represents one of the infosphere’s most insightful minds in oncology. But I have a problem with the title. It assumes a man machine dichotomy. An allocation of effort that's on us or on them with a boundary separating where they stop and we ... Continue Reading about The Man Machine Dichotomy
Why IBM Watson is Important
First he won at Jeopardy. Now IBM Watson is helping to treat cancer. IBM, WellPoint, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center today unveiled the first commercially developed Watson-based cognitive computing breakthroughs. This is transformative stuff. IBM Watson is using evidence-based treatment models to individualize care and improve the speed and quality of ... Continue Reading about Why IBM Watson is Important
How to Create a Mind
Review of How to Create a Mind. As Watson makes his march toward clinical reasoning, the idea of a computer replicating the mind of a physician doesn’t seem that far off. Despite wide skepticism of this eventuality, the evidence supports that machines will ultimately be able to do a lot of what I do in my clinic. That’s the idea of Ray Kurzweil’s new book, How to ... Continue Reading about How to Create a Mind
Can Machines Act Like Doctors?
Recently I spent some time watching videos of surgeon David Samadi and the Da Vinci robotic operating sytem. I began thinking about doctors and automation. I wondered, can machines act like doctors? I wondered what part of me will be replaced by artificial intelligence? I suspect that much of what I do will be done more efficiently by machine. Then I thought ... Continue Reading about Can Machines Act Like Doctors?