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My readers know of my trepidation and angst regarding the unstoppable artificial intelligence (AI) tsunami that will disrupt our world in a manner that will make the arrival of the internet seem quaint. Just as we cannot fully contemplate the potential benefits, we cannot fathom the potential harm and destruction it will wreak. There will AI actions that will cause harm and benefit simultaneously. For instance, once perfected, driverless vehicles will operate more safely than human controlled cars and trucks. Former drivers will now be passengers who are free to engage in professional or leisure activities. However, if you currently earn your living as a driver, then this technological milestone will a millstone. There will be many mixed results like this - winners and losers even when AI is being utilized in a legal and ethical manner.
Some AI actions will be all upside such as expediting the
discovery of more effective medical treatments or cures.
And, of course, there will be evil outcomes by design. No examples necessary for this.
As a physician, AI is already permeating my world, but I
have resisted its encroachment thus far. I have always had a wary eye towards
technology, which I believe has exacted a portion of our humanity as a cost for
its use. In one example, consider the harms suffered by teenagers
and others from social media.
For me, at this stage of my career, I am largely satisfied with the tools that I have been comfortably using. But I expect that in short order, every aspect of a physician’s professional life will be infused with AI, from the office visit to the operating room and everything in between. We already have AI technology that can be incorporated into the colonoscopy experience, which my GI group has not yet adopted. AI will identify polyps during the colonoscopy journey, highlighting the lesions for the endoscopist who will then remove them. (In time, there will be reliable technology that will be able to identify the type of polyp discovered without needing to perform a traditional biopsy. This would allow the gastroenterologist to leave polyps behind that AI has determined are entirely innocent.)
Here is a predictable consequence of polyp-identifying
AI. Physicians who rely upon AI will
lose their own polyp-finding skills. This skill atrophy will not be restricted to
the medical profession but will affect all of us in ways that we can imagine an
in ways that are beyond our reach. Do
you think that artists, musicians, chefs, composers, scientists, designers, writers,
journalists, tradesmen, legal professionals, educators and the rest of us will
maintain our skills as AI moves in?
(Hint: They won't!) For physicians, AI will extend far beyond
medical procedures into all aspects of medical practice. I expect that it will be used to obtain a
medical history, perform a physical exam and to make diagnoses more accurate
than most human physicians are doing today.
Those who dispute my conjecture probably would have argued 10 years ago
that telemedicine could never replace an in-person office visit.
So, here’s a few philosophical questions I pose to readers. If a machine can perform a task
better than we can, should we care if we humans can no longer compete? Should we just step aside? What will be left for us to do?
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