#Role of AI in Healthcare

[atliq-ai-technologies]

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Transforming Patient Care

Imagine a world where a diagnosis takes seconds, treatment plans are personalized to the finest detail, and patient monitoring is continuous and seamless. This is not a futuristic dream but a burgeoning reality in today’s healthcare landscape. According to recent studies, the global AI in the healthcare market is expected to reach $45.2 billion by 2026, growing at a staggering annual rate of 44.9%. This rapid growth is a testament to the transformative power of AI automation in patient care.

AI is not just a buzzword; it is a catalyst for change, reshaping how we approach patient care. From enhancing diagnostic accuracy to personalizing treatment plans, AI automation is at the forefront of a healthcare revolution. In this blog, we’ll explore how AI is revolutionizing patient care, the benefits it brings, the challenges we face, and what the future holds for this exciting intersection of technology and medicine.

Definition of AI Automation

AI refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think and learn. In the context of healthcare, AI automation involves using these intelligent systems to perform tasks that typically require human intervention. These tasks range from data analysis and diagnostics to treatment recommendations and patient monitoring. AI in healthcare leverages machine learning, natural language processing, and robotics to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and personalized care.

Historical Context

The journey of AI in healthcare began decades ago, with early applications focusing on decision-support systems and diagnostic tools. In the 1970s and 1980s, pioneering systems like MYCIN and INTERNIST-I demonstrated the potential of artificial intelligence in medicine by assisting doctors in diagnosing infectious diseases and complex medical conditions. However, limitations in computational power and data availability hindered significant progress. It wasn’t until the advent of big data and advanced machine learning algorithms in the 21st century that the role of artificial intelligence in healthcare began to flourish.

Benefits of AI Automation in Patient Care

Improved Diagnostics

One of the most significant benefits of AI in healthcare is its ability to enhance diagnostic accuracy and speed. AI-powered imaging and diagnostic tools leverage machine learning algorithms to analyze medical images and detect abnormalities with remarkable precision. For example, AI systems can identify early signs of diseases like cancer, fractures, and neurological disorders faster than traditional methods. This improves patient outcomes and reduces the time and resources spent on diagnostic processes.

Personalized Treatment Plans

AI in patient care extends beyond diagnostics to creating personalized treatment plans. AI can develop tailored treatment strategies that optimize efficacy and minimize adverse effects by analyzing a patient’s medical history, genetic information, and lifestyle factors. This level of personalization was previously unattainable with conventional methods.

Operational Efficiency

AI automation significantly streamlines administrative tasks, reducing healthcare costs and improving operational efficiency. From scheduling and billing to managing patient records, AI systems handle routine tasks with minimal human intervention, freeing healthcare professionals to focus more on patient care.

AI Automation in Clinical Settings

AI in Surgery

The role of artificial intelligence in healthcare extends significantly into the surgical domain. Robotic surgery and AI-assisted procedures have revolutionized the operating room, offering unprecedented precision and control. Surgeons now rely on AI to perform complex surgeries with enhanced accuracy, reducing the risk of complications and improving patient outcomes.

Example: One prominent AI surgical system is the da Vinci Surgical System, which allows surgeons to perform minimally invasive procedures with robotic arms controlled by a computer. Another example is the Mazor X Stealth Edition, which combines AI and robotics for spinal surgeries, offering precise guidance and planning.

Patient Monitoring

Continuous patient monitoring and real-time data analysis are critical aspects of AI in patient care. AI technologies enable healthcare providers to monitor patients’ vital signs and health metrics around the clock, allowing for early detection of potential issues and timely interventions.

Technologies: Wearable devices such as smartwatches and fitness trackers equipped with AI can monitor heart rate, blood pressure, and other vital signs. Remote monitoring systems like BioIntelliSense’s BioSticker provide continuous, real-time health data, which is analyzed by AI to detect anomalies and alert healthcare professionals if intervention is needed. These advancements highlight the benefits of AI in healthcare, particularly in enhancing patient safety and care quality.

Telemedicine and Virtual Care

AI-driven telehealth platforms are expanding access to care, making healthcare services more accessible to remote and underserved populations. Telemedicine allows patients to consult with healthcare providers virtually, reducing the need for in-person visits and enabling timely medical advice and treatment.

Impact: The role of artificial intelligence in healthcare through telemedicine is profound, as it bridges the gap between patients and providers regardless of geographical barriers. For instance, AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can conduct preliminary assessments, schedule appointments, and provide medical information, ensuring patients receive the care they need promptly. This increased accessibility is particularly beneficial for those living in rural or underserved areas, ensuring that more people can benefit from high-quality healthcare services.

Challenges and Ethical Considerations

Data Privacy and Security: One of the primary concerns with AI in healthcare is ensuring patient data privacy and security. With vast amounts of sensitive information being processed, robust measures must be in place to protect against data breaches and unauthorized access. Ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of patient data is paramount to maintaining trust and compliance with regulations.

Bias and Fairness: AI algorithms can inadvertently perpetuate biases present in the data they are trained on, leading to unfair treatment outcomes. Addressing these biases is essential to ensure equitable healthcare for all patients.

Integration with Human Care: Balancing AI automation with the human touch in patient care is crucial. While AI can enhance efficiency and accuracy, the empathetic and compassionate aspects of human care are irreplaceable.

Artificial intelligence in healthcare is not just a technological advancement; it is a catalyst for transformative change. From improving diagnostic accuracy and personalizing treatment plans to enhancing operational efficiency and expanding access through telemedicine, the benefits of AI in patient care are profound and far-reaching. However, as we embrace this revolution, it is crucial to address the challenges and ethical considerations that come with it. Ensuring data privacy and security, mitigating biases, and maintaining the essential human touch in healthcare is paramount to realizing the full potential of AI.

The future of AI in healthcare is promising, with continuous advancements paving the way for even more innovative solutions. By navigating the complexities and balancing the integration of AI with human expertise, we can create a healthcare system that is more efficient, equitable, and patient-centred. As we move forward, the role of artificial intelligence in medicine will undoubtedly continue to evolve, driving us toward a future where high-quality healthcare is accessible to all. Embracing AI responsibly will enable us to unlock its full potential, ultimately transforming patient care for the better.

Check out the Original Article

[thinkitiveblog]

What is Digital Health & its Solutions?

The Covid-19 pandemic changed into a catastrophe that elevated the improvement and implementation of virtual fitness and healthcare information technology (IT) by at least a minimum of 5 years. It has additionally changed Americans’ attitudes toward healthcare providers and patient care. However, the point of interest on Covid-19 obscures three different underlying and interrelated topics to retain to force new applications for digital health and healthcare IT systems.

What is Digital Health?

In simple terms, digital health uses technology and tools to improve the healthcare system. Data science may do wonders using predictive analysis and pattern recognition to identify diseases early and save millions of lives.

Covid-19 boosts digital health in 3-4 months when it might have taken 3-5 years previously. Customers are eager to be a part of the digital transformation in the healthcare revolution. It is now common to use Telemedicine to provide online consultations, ePrescribing, Remote Patient Monitoring, and other similar technological solutions to improve healthcare efficiency. Many major and small companies are moving forward to reinvent healthcare delivery, including Google, Apple, Amazon, GE Healthcare, Siemens, Medtronic, and Philips.

Checkout below “The Digital Health 150” is CB Insights’ annual ranking of the 150 most promising digital health startups in the world.

Benefits of Technology in HealthCare

Digital health offers the ability to prevent illness and reduce healthcare costs while assisting people in monitoring and managing chronic disorders. It may also personalize medication for each patient.

The benefits of digital health also assist healthcare professionals. By considerably boosting access to health data and giving people more significant influence over their health, digital tools provide healthcare practitioners with a comprehensive perspective of patient health. As a result, efficiency has increased, and medical results have improved.

Impact of Digital Health?

Covid-19 forced everyone to use digital products for healthcare Services. 50%-70% population in urban cities book appointments online and take online consultations in most cases. It’s been the most common practice for everyone to order medicine online, thanks to the pharma supply chain. Labs and radiology also came to the party by providing a facility for taking samples at home and providing online reporting systems.

With increasing digital health innovations in medical apps and wearable devices that help individuals calculate calories burned and consumed. These devices and apps motivate one to get off the couch, walk, exercise for a few hours, and burn calories. These tiny little steps from individuals give long-term digital health benefits. Some smart innovations allow one to take pictures and calculate the nutritional value of given food. Now with the help of mhealth, Remote patient monitoring and wearable devices allow us to monitor every aspect of health like weight, exercise, blood pressure, water level, and other health parameters to help us control our health balance.

What are digital health solutions?

There are many healthcare solutions developed by many companies. Please check the list of famous ones.

Telemedicine App

Telemedicine is coined as using digital media and software programs to provide healthcare offerings through the net without healthcare companies needing to be physically present. It has become famous as an alternate method of treating patients without exposing them to covid-19.

Remote Patient Monitoring

The growing aging of society and the uptick in the variety of chronic diseases necessitate more collaboration among healthcare providers and patients. With the help of remote patient monitoring software, one can monitor all activities and health metrics and provide vital remedies via the internet without personally inspecting them all the time.

Every healthcare provider aims to run his practice effectively. Practice management software helps providers deliver care effectively. PMS’s essential components are Appointment booking, patient management, Billing and Claims Processing & Reporting.

Chronic Care Management

Chronic Care Management solution allows providers to onboard patients with 2 or 3 chronic conditions. CCM solution allows providers to create care plans with actionable items to be done by patients. Application tack every minute the provider spends to create a claim at the end of the month.

Revenue Cycle Management

Revenue cycle Management enables providers to manage their financial workflows associated with patient medical billing and Invoicing, Insurance verification with authorization and eligibility checking, claim processing and follow-up, denial & rejection handling, payment collection and AR follow-up, Electronic remittance and explanation of Benefits posting.

EMR/EHR Software

EMR system is software that privileged hospitals to deal with patient clinical data. The EMR  is a digital chart that a healthcare practice or organization uses to maintain a patient record. It eliminates the older paper chart and can often communicate with a pharmacy. Learn More

[reallytoosublime]

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked a revolutionary transformation in various industries, and perhaps one of the most profound impacts has been witnessed in the healthcare sector. AI is redefining the way medical professionals diagnose, treat, and manage diseases, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes, reducing costs, and improving overall healthcare delivery.

One of the primary areas where AI is making a significant impact is medical diagnostics. AI-powered algorithms have demonstrated remarkable accuracy in interpreting medical images such as X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans. These algorithms can quickly and accurately identify anomalies, such as tumors, fractures, and other abnormalities, often with a level of precision that rivals or even surpasses human radiologists. This not only speeds up the diagnostic process but also reduces the chances of human error, leading to earlier detection and treatment of diseases.

AI is also playing a crucial role in personalized medicine. By analyzing vast amounts of patient data, including genetic information and medical histories, AI algorithms can identify patterns and correlations that enable more targeted and effective treatment plans. This allows healthcare providers to tailor interventions to each individual's unique needs, maximizing treatment efficacy and minimizing adverse effects.

In addition to diagnostics and personalized medicine, AI is reshaping the drug discovery and development process. Traditional drug development is often time-consuming and costly, with many potential candidates failing during clinical trials. AI-driven approaches, such as machine learning and deep learning, can analyze massive datasets to predict the effectiveness and safety of potential drugs, leading to faster and more efficient drug development pipelines. AI algorithms can also help identify new drug targets and repurpose existing drugs for new therapeutic purposes, potentially revolutionizing the way we approach the treatment of diseases.

AI is ushering in a new era of possibilities in the healthcare industry. From improved diagnostics and personalized treatment plans to streamlined operations and drug discovery, AI is driving significant advancements that have the potential to revolutionize patient care and reshape the healthcare landscape as we know it. As technology continues to evolve, stakeholders must work collaboratively to harness AI's potential while safeguarding patient privacy and ensuring that the benefits are accessible to all segments of society.

How AI is Revolutionizing The Modern Healthcare Industry

[youtubemarketing1234]

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked a revolutionary transformation in various industries, and perhaps one of the most profound impacts has been witnessed in the healthcare sector. AI is redefining the way medical professionals diagnose, treat, and manage diseases, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes, reducing costs, and improving overall healthcare delivery.

One of the primary areas where AI is making a significant impact is medical diagnostics. AI-powered algorithms have demonstrated remarkable accuracy in interpreting medical images such as X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans. These algorithms can quickly and accurately identify anomalies, such as tumors, fractures, and other abnormalities, often with a level of precision that rivals or even surpasses human radiologists. This not only speeds up the diagnostic process but also reduces the chances of human error, leading to earlier detection and treatment of diseases.

AI is also playing a crucial role in personalized medicine. By analyzing vast amounts of patient data, including genetic information and medical histories, AI algorithms can identify patterns and correlations that enable more targeted and effective treatment plans. This allows healthcare providers to tailor interventions to each individual's unique needs, maximizing treatment efficacy and minimizing adverse effects.

In addition to diagnostics and personalized medicine, AI is reshaping the drug discovery and development process. Traditional drug development is often time-consuming and costly, with many potential candidates failing during clinical trials. AI-driven approaches, such as machine learning and deep learning, can analyze massive datasets to predict the effectiveness and safety of potential drugs, leading to faster and more efficient drug development pipelines. AI algorithms can also help identify new drug targets and repurpose existing drugs for new therapeutic purposes, potentially revolutionizing the way we approach the treatment of diseases.

AI is ushering in a new era of possibilities in the healthcare industry. From improved diagnostics and personalized treatment plans to streamlined operations and drug discovery, AI is driving significant advancements that have the potential to revolutionize patient care and reshape the healthcare landscape as we know it. As technology continues to evolve, stakeholders must work collaboratively to harness AI's potential while safeguarding patient privacy and ensuring that the benefits are accessible to all segments of society.

How AI is Revolutionizing The Modern Healthcare Industry

[gangadhar7758]

Advantages of Using Chatbots in Real Estate

Chatbots used in real estate are essentially virtual agents that save time and free up live agents to focus on more complex aspects of the job. These ai chatbots are used to contact potential customers through various messaging apps. The intent is to convert these prospects into conversations and turn them into existing customers.

Read more: Advantages of Using Chatbots in Real Estate

[mostlysignssomeportents]

America's largest hospital chain has an algorithmic death panel

It’s not that conservatives aren’t sometimes right — it’s that even when they’re right, they’re highly selective about it. Take the hoary chestnut that “incentives matter,” trotted out to deny humane benefits to poor people on the grounds that “free money” makes people “workshy.”

There’s a whole body of conservative economic orthodoxy, Public Choice Theory, that concerns itself with the motives of callow, easily corrupted regulators, legislators and civil servants, and how they might be tempted to distort markets.

But the same people who obsess over our fallible public institutions are convinced that private institutions will never yield to temptation, because the fear of competition keeps temptation at bay. It’s this belief that leads the right to embrace monopolies as “efficient”: “A company’s dominance is evidence of its quality. Customers flock to it, and competitors fail to lure them away, therefore monopolies are the public’s best friend.”

But this only makes sense if you don’t understand how monopolies can prevent competitors. Think of Uber, lighting $31b of its investors’ cash on fire, losing 41 cents on every dollar it brought in, in a bid to drive out competitors and make public transit seem like a bad investment.

Or think of Big Tech, locking up whole swathes of your life inside their silos, so that changing mobile OSes means abandoning your iMessage contacts; or changing social media platforms means abandoning your friends, or blocking Google surveillance means losing your email address, or breaking up with Amazon means losing all your ebooks and audiobooks:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/08/facebooks-secret-war-switching-costs

Businesspeople understand the risks of competition, which is why they seek to extinguish it. The harder it is for your customers to leave — because of a lack of competitors or because of lock-in — the worse you can treat them without risking their departure. This is the core of enshittification: a company that is neither disciplined by competition nor regulation can abuse its customers and suppliers over long timescales without losing either:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys

It’s not that public institutions can’t betray they public interest. It’s just that public institutions can be made democratically accountable, rather than financially accountable. When a company betrays you, you can only punish it by “voting with your wallet.” In that system, the people with the fattest wallets get the most votes.

When public institutions fail you, you can vote with your ballot. Admittedly, that doesn’t always work, but one of the major predictors of whether it will work is how big and concentrated the private sector is. Regulatory capture isn’t automatic: it’s what you get when companies are bigger than governments.

If you want small governments, in other words, you need small companies. Even if you think the only role for the state is in enforcing contracts, the state needs to be more powerful than the companies issuing those contracts. The bigger the companies are, the bigger the government has to be:

https://doctorow.medium.com/regulatory-capture-59b2013e2526

Companies can suborn the government to help them abuse the public, but whether public institutions can resist them is more a matter of how powerful those companies are than how fallible a public servant is. Our plutocratic, monopolized, unequal society is the worst of both worlds. Because companies are so big, they abuse us with impunity — and they are able to suborn the state to help them do it:

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/testing-theories-of-american-politics-elites-interest-groups-and-average-citizens/62327F513959D0A304D4893B382B992B

This is the dimension that’s so often missing from the discussion of why Americans pay more for healthcare to get worse outcomes from health-care workers who labor under worse conditions than their cousins abroad. Yes, the government can abet this, as when it lets privatizers into the Medicare system to loot it and maim its patients:

https://prospect.org/health/2023-08-01-patient-zero-tom-scully/

But the answer to this isn’t more privatization. Remember Sarah Palin’s scare-stories about how government health care would have “death panels” where unaccountable officials decided whether your life was worth saving?

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26195604/

The reason “death panels” resounded so thoroughly — and stuck around through the years — is that we all understand, at some deep level, that health care will always be rationed. When you show up at the Emergency Room, they have to triage you. Even if you’re in unbearable agony, you might have to wait, and wait, and wait, because other people (even people who arrive after you do) have it worse.

In America, health care is mostly rationed based on your ability to pay. Emergency room triage is one of the only truly meritocratic institutions in the American health system, where your treatment is based on urgency, not cash. Of course, you can buy your way out of that too, with concierge doctors. And the ER system itself has been infested with Private Equity parasites:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/17/the-doctor-will-fleece-you-now/#pe-in-full-effect

Wealth-based health-care rationing is bad enough, but when it’s combined with the public purse, a bad system becomes a nightmare. Take hospice care: private equity funds have rolled up huge numbers of hospices across the USA and turned them into rigged — and lethal — games:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/26/death-panels/#what-the-heck-is-going-on-with-CMS

Medicare will pay a hospice $203-$1,462 to care for a dying person, amounting to $22.4b/year in public funds transfered to the private sector. Incentives matter: the less a hospice does for their patients, the more profits they reap. And the private hospice system is administered with the lightest of touches: at the $203/day level, a private hospice has no mandatory duties to their patients.

You can set up a California hospice for the price of a $3,000 filing fee (which is mostly optional, since it’s never checked). You will have a facility inspection, but don’t worry, there’s no followup to make sure you remediate any failing elements. And no one at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services tracks complaints.

So PE-owned hospices pressure largely healthy people to go into “hospice care” — from home. Then they do nothing for them, including continuing whatever medical care they were depending on. After the patient generates $32,000 in billings for the PE company, they hit the cap and are “live discharged” and must go through a bureaucratic nightmare to re-establish their Medicare eligibility, because once you go into hospice, Medicare assumes you are dying and halts your care.

PE-owned hospices bribe doctors to refer patients to them. Sometimes, these sham hospices deliberately induce overdoses in their patients in a bid to make it look like they’re actually in the business of caring for the dying. Incentives matter:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/12/05/how-hospice-became-a-for-profit-hustle

Now, hospice care — and its relative, palliative care — is a crucial part of any humane medical system. In his essential book, Being Mortal, Atul Gawande describes how end-of-life care that centers a dying person’s priorities can make death a dignified and even satisfying process for the patient and their loved ones:

https://atulgawande.com/book/being-mortal/

But that dignity comes from a patient-centered approach, not a profit-centered one. Doctors are required to put their patients’ interests first, and while they sometimes fail at this (everyone is fallible), the professionalization of medicine, through which doctors were held to ethical standards ahead of monetary considerations, proved remarkable durable.

Partly that was because doctors generally worked for themselves — or for other doctors. In most states, it is illegal for medical practices to be owned by non-MDs, and historically, only a small fraction of doctors worked for hospitals, subject to administration by businesspeople rather than medical professionals.

But that was radically altered by the entry of private equity into the medical system, with the attending waves of consolidation that saw local hospitals merged into massive national chains, and private practices scooped up and turned into profit-maximizers, not health-maximizers:

https://prospect.org/health/2023-08-02-qa-corporate-medicine-destroys-doctors/

Today, doctors are being proletarianized, joining the ranks of nurses, physicians’ assistants and other health workers. In 2012, 60% of practices were doctor-owned and only 5.6% of docs worked for hospitals. Today, that’s up by 1,000%, with 52.1% of docs working for hospitals, mostly giant corporate chains:

https://prospect.org/health/2023-08-04-when-mds-go-union/

The paperclip-maximizing, grandparent-devouring transhuman colony organism that calls itself a Private Equity fund is endlessly inventive in finding ways to increase its profits by harming the rest of us. It’s not just hospices — it’s also palliative care.

Writing for NBC News, Gretchen Morgenson describes how HCA Healthcare — the nation’s largest hospital chain — outsourced its death panels to IBM Watson, whose algorithmic determinations override MDs’ judgment to send patients to palliative care, withdrawing their care and leaving them to die:

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-care/doctors-say-hca-hospitals-push-patients-hospice-care-rcna81599

Incentives matter. When HCA hospitals send patients to die somewhere else to die, it jukes their stats, reducing the average length of stay for patients, a key metric used by HCA that has the twin benefits of making the hospital seem like a place where people get well quickly, while freeing up beds for more profitable patients.

Goodhart’s Law holds that “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.” Give an MBA within HCA a metric (“get patients out of bed quicker”) and they will find a way to hit that metric (“send patients off to die somewhere else, even if their doctors think they could recover”):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodhart%27s_law

Incentives matter! Any corporate measure immediately becomes a target. Tell Warners to decrease costs, and they will turn around and declare the writers’ strike to be a $100m “cost savings,” despite the fact that this “savings” comes from ceasing production on the shows that will bring in all of next year’s revenue:

https://deadline.com/2023/08/warner-bros-discovery-david-zaslav-gunnar-wiedenfels-strikes-1235453950/

Incentivize a company to eat its seed-corn and it will chow down.

Only one of HCA’s doctors was willing to go on record about its death panels: Ghasan Tabel of Riverside Community Hospital (motto: “Above all else, we are committed to the care and improvement of human life”). Tabel sued Riverside after the hospital retaliated against him when he refused to follow the algorithm’s orders to send his patients for palliative care.

Tabel is the only doc on record willing to discuss this, but 26 other doctors talked to Morgenson on background about the practice, asking for anonymity out of fear of retaliation from the nation’s largest hospital chain, a “Wall Street darling” with $5.6b in earnings in 2022.

HCA already has a reputation as a slaughterhouse that puts profits before patients, with “severe understaffing”:

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/workers-us-hospital-giant-hca-say-puts-profits-patient-care-rcna64122

and rotting, undermaintained facililties:

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-care/roaches-operating-room-hca-hospital-florida-rcna69563

But while cutting staff and leaving hospitals to crumble are inarguable malpractice, the palliative care scam is harder to pin down. By using “AI” to decide when patients are beyond help, HCA can employ empiricism-washing, declaring the matter to be the factual — and unquestionable — conclusion of a mathematical process, not mere profit-seeking:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/26/dictators-dilemma/ggarbage-in-garbage-out-garbage-back-in

But this empirical facewash evaporates when confronted with whistleblower accounts of hospital administrators who have no medical credentials berating doctors for a “missed hospice opportunity” when a physician opts to keep a patient under their care despite the algorithm’s determination.

This is the true “AI Safety” risk. It’s not that a chatbot will become sentient and take over the world — it’s that the original artificial lifeform, the limited liability company, will use “AI” to accelerate its murderous shell-game until we can’t spot the trick:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/06/10/in-the-dumps-2/

The risk is real. A 2020 study in the Journal of Healthcare Management concluded that the cash incentives for shipping patients to palliatve care “may induce deceiving changes in mortality reporting in several high-volume hospital diagnoses”:

https://journals.lww.com/jhmonline/Fulltext/2020/04000/The_Association_of_Increasing_Hospice_Use_With.7.aspx

Incentives matter. In a private market, it’s always more profitable to deny care than to provide it, and any metric we bolt onto that system to prevent cheating will immediately become a target. For-profit healthcare is an oxymoron, a prelude to death panels that will kill you for a nickel.

Morgenson is an incisive commentator on for-profit looting. Her recent book These Are the Plunderers: How Private Equity Runs — and Wrecks — America (co-written with Joshua Rosner) is a must-read:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/06/02/plunderers/#farben

I’m kickstarting the audiobook for “The Internet Con: How To Seize the Means of Computation,” a Big Tech disassembly manual to disenshittify the web and bring back the old, good internet. It’s a DRM-free book, which means Audible won’t carry it, so this crowdfunder is essential. Back now to get the audio, Verso hardcover and ebook:

http://seizethemeansofcomputation.org

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/05/any-metric-becomes-a-target/#hca

[Image ID: An industrial meat-grinder. A sick man, propped up with pillows, is being carried up its conveyor towards its hopper. Ground meat comes out of the other end. It bears the logo of HCA healthcare. A pool of blood spreads out below it.]

Image: Seydelmann (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GW300_1.jpg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

[sunshinesmebdy]

Pluto in Aquarius: Brace for a Business Revolution (and How to Ride the Wave)

The Aquarian Revolution

Get ready, entrepreneurs and financiers, because a seismic shift is coming. Pluto, the planet of transformation and upheaval, has just entered the progressive sign of Aquarius, marking the beginning of a 20-year period that will reshape the very fabric of business and finance. Buckle up, for this is not just a ripple – it's a tsunami of change. Imagine a future where collaboration trumps competition, sustainability dictates success, and technology liberates rather than isolates. Aquarius, the sign of innovation and humanitarianism, envisions just that. Expect to see:

Rise of social impact businesses

Profits won't be the sole motive anymore. Companies driven by ethical practices, environmental consciousness, and social good will gain traction. Aquarius is intrinsically linked to collective well-being and social justice. Under its influence, individuals will value purpose-driven ventures that address crucial societal issues. Pluto urges us to connect with our deeper selves and find meaning beyond material gains. This motivates individuals to pursue ventures that resonate with their personal values and make a difference in the world.

Examples of Social Impact Businesses

Sustainable energy companies: Focused on creating renewable energy solutions while empowering local communities.

Fair-trade businesses: Ensuring ethical practices and fair wages for producers, often in developing countries.

Social impact ventures: Addressing issues like poverty, education, and healthcare through innovative, community-driven approaches.

B corporations: Certified businesses that meet rigorous social and environmental standards, balancing profit with purpose.

Navigating the Pluto in Aquarius Landscape

Align your business with social impact: Analyze your core values and find ways to integrate them into your business model.

Invest in sustainable practices: Prioritize environmental and social responsibility throughout your operations.

Empower your employees: Foster a collaborative environment where everyone feels valued and contributes to the social impact mission.

Build strong community partnerships: Collaborate with organizations and communities that share your goals for positive change.

Embrace innovation and technology: Utilize technology to scale your impact and reach a wider audience.

Pluto in Aquarius presents a thrilling opportunity to redefine the purpose of business, moving beyond shareholder value and towards societal well-being. By aligning with the Aquarian spirit of innovation and collective action, social impact businesses can thrive in this transformative era, leaving a lasting legacy of positive change in the world.

Tech-driven disruption

AI, automation, and blockchain will revolutionize industries, from finance to healthcare. Be ready to adapt or risk getting left behind. Expect a focus on developing Artificial Intelligence with ethical considerations and a humanitarian heart, tackling issues like healthcare, climate change, and poverty alleviation. Immersive technologies will blur the lines between the physical and digital realms, transforming education, communication, and entertainment. Automation will reshape the job market, but also create opportunities for new, human-centered roles focused on creativity, innovation, and social impact.

Examples of Tech-Driven Disruption:

Decentralized social media platforms: User-owned networks fueled by blockchain technology, prioritizing privacy and community over corporate profits.

AI-powered healthcare solutions: Personalized medicine, virtual assistants for diagnostics, and AI-driven drug discovery.

VR/AR for education and training: Immersive learning experiences that transport students to different corners of the world or historical periods.

Automation with a human touch: Collaborative robots assisting in tasks while freeing up human potential for creative and leadership roles.

Navigating the Technological Tsunami:

Stay informed and adaptable: Embrace lifelong learning and upskilling to stay relevant in the evolving tech landscape.

Support ethical and sustainable tech: Choose tech products and services aligned with your values and prioritize privacy and social responsibility.

Focus on your human advantage: Cultivate creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence to thrive in a world increasingly reliant on technology.

Advocate for responsible AI development: Join the conversation about ethical AI guidelines and ensure technology serves humanity's best interests.

Connect with your community: Collaborate with others to harness technology for positive change and address the potential challenges that come with rapid technological advancements.

Pluto in Aquarius represents a critical juncture in our relationship with technology. By embracing its disruptive potential and focusing on ethical development and collective benefit, we can unlock a future where technology empowers humanity and creates a more equitable and sustainable world. Remember, the choice is ours – will we be swept away by the technological tsunami or ride its wave towards a brighter future?

Decentralization and democratization

Power structures will shift, with employees demanding more autonomy and consumers seeking ownership through blockchain-based solutions. Traditional institutions, corporations, and even governments will face challenges as power shifts towards distributed networks and grassroots movements. Individuals will demand active involvement in decision-making processes, leading to increased transparency and accountability in all spheres. Property and resources will be seen as shared assets, managed sustainably and equitably within communities. This transition won't be without its bumps. We'll need to adapt existing legal frameworks, address digital divides, and foster collaboration to ensure everyone benefits from decentralization.

Examples of Decentralization and Democratization

Decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs): Self-governing online communities managing shared resources and projects through blockchain technology.

Community-owned renewable energy initiatives: Local cooperatives generating and distributing clean energy, empowering communities and reducing reliance on centralized grids.

Participatory budgeting platforms: Citizens directly allocate local government funds, ensuring public resources are used in line with community needs.

Decentralized finance (DeFi): Peer-to-peer lending and borrowing platforms, bypassing traditional banks and offering greater financial autonomy for individuals.

Harnessing the Power of the Tide:

Embrace collaborative models: Participate in co-ops, community projects, and initiatives that empower collective ownership and decision-making.

Support ethical technology: Advocate for blockchain platforms and applications that prioritize user privacy, security, and equitable access.

Develop your tech skills: Learn about blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and other decentralized technologies to navigate the future landscape.

Engage in your community: Participate in local decision-making processes, champion sustainable solutions, and build solidarity with others.

Stay informed and adaptable: Embrace lifelong learning and critical thinking to navigate the evolving social and economic landscape.

Pluto in Aquarius presents a unique opportunity to reimagine power structures, ownership models, and how we interact with each other. By embracing decentralization and democratization, we can create a future where individuals and communities thrive, fostering a more equitable and sustainable world for all. Remember, the power lies within our collective hands – let's use it wisely to shape a brighter future built on shared ownership, collaboration, and empowered communities.

Focus on collective prosperity

Universal basic income, resource sharing, and collaborative economic models may gain momentum. Aquarius prioritizes the good of the collective, advocating for equitable distribution of resources and opportunities. Expect a rise in social safety nets, universal basic income initiatives, and policies aimed at closing the wealth gap. Environmental health is intrinsically linked to collective prosperity. We'll see a focus on sustainable practices, green economies, and resource sharing to ensure a thriving planet for generations to come. Communities will come together to address social challenges like poverty, homelessness, and healthcare disparities, recognizing that individual success is interwoven with collective well-being. Collaborative consumption, resource sharing, and community-owned assets will gain traction, challenging traditional notions of ownership and fostering a sense of shared abundance.

Examples of Collective Prosperity in Action

Community-owned renewable energy projects: Sharing the benefits of clean energy production within communities, democratizing access and fostering environmental sustainability.

Cooperatives and worker-owned businesses: Sharing profits and decision-making within companies, leading to greater employee satisfaction and productivity.

Universal basic income initiatives: Providing individuals with a basic safety net, enabling them to pursue their passions and contribute to society in meaningful ways.

Resource sharing platforms: Platforms like carsharing or tool libraries minimizing individual ownership and maximizing resource utilization, fostering a sense of interconnectedness.

Navigating the Shift

Support social impact businesses: Choose businesses that prioritize ethical practices, environmental sustainability, and positive social impact.

Contribute to your community: Volunteer your time, skills, and resources to address local challenges and empower others.

Embrace collaboration: Seek opportunities to work together with others to create solutions for shared problems.

Redefine your own path to prosperity: Focus on activities that bring you personal fulfillment and contribute to the collective good.

Advocate for systemic change: Support policies and initiatives that promote social justice, environmental protection, and equitable distribution of resources.

Pluto in Aquarius offers a unique opportunity to reshape our definition of prosperity and build a future where everyone thrives. By embracing collective well-being, collaboration, and sustainable practices, we can create a world where abundance flows freely, enriching not just individuals, but the entire fabric of society. Remember, true prosperity lies not in what we hoard, but in what we share, and by working together, we can cultivate a future where everyone has the opportunity to flourish.

[darkmaga-retard]

Former UK MP Andrew Bridgen just told me that over 80% of the NHS employees won't take any more shots. I asked several AI models what this means.

Steve Kirsch

Sep 03, 2024

Executive summary

The AI models all seem to agree that this is very troubling. It indicates that the COVID vaccines are not safe and effective, i.e., they lied to you.

Wow. Who would have guessed?

Read what the AI systems had to say.

ChatGPT

It's a thought-provoking question, and it certainly raises valid concerns that need to be explored. The statistic you mention regarding NHS employees potentially refusing further COVID-19 boosters is indeed striking and could suggest a significant level of vaccine hesitancy among healthcare professionals, who are often at the frontline of these public health measures.

The mainstream narrative typically promotes COVID-19 vaccines as being safe and effective, and for these vaccines, the regulatory bodies have given them emergency use authorization or full approval after assessing the risk-benefit ratio. However, the fact that a large percentage of health professionals may be opting out of additional boosters could indicate that their firsthand experience and observations might not align with the broader public messaging.

There could be several factors contributing to this phenomenon, and it’s important to consider them from multiple angles:

Adverse Effects and Observations: NHS employees, like other healthcare workers globally, have had unique insight into the immediate and short-term effects of the vaccines. They may be more acutely aware of any potential adverse effects, even those that are understated or underreported in official channels. This could contribute to a declining enthusiasm for further doses.

Questioning the Need for Boosters: As new variants of COVID-19 have emerged, the effectiveness of the original formulations of the vaccines against these variants has been called into question. If healthcare professionals perceive that the boosters are not providing significant additional protection, especially if they have already had previous doses, they might choose to forgo further shots.

Natural Immunity: Many healthcare workers have likely been exposed to the virus multiple times or have contracted COVID-19, potentially leading to natural immunity. There is ongoing debate in the scientific community about the durability and strength of natural immunity versus vaccine-induced immunity. Some may feel that their natural immunity is sufficient and thus may not see the need for additional vaccination.

Mistrust in Public Health Messaging: Throughout the pandemic, there has been a wide range of information and sometimes contradictory guidance from public health bodies. This inconsistency can erode trust, particularly among those who are supposed to be the most informed—healthcare workers. When trust diminishes, so does compliance with recommendations, even among medical professionals.

Vaccine Fatigue and Side Effects: The experience of side effects from previous shots, even if mild, can deter individuals from taking additional doses. The phenomenon of vaccine fatigue, especially in the context of a pandemic that has dragged on for years, could also play a role.

[slicedblackolives]

why do you keep saying benaron is a ceo. he's still in the biotech industry and is individually a proponent of plenty of questionable health surveillance practices but like. very pointedly does not run any companies.

I realise this is the unemployed central of the internet but there’s a website called LINKEDIN where you can look up people and find their self-uploaded resumes and you see David Benaron has made a profile with his own two hands and listed his current and previous roles at CEOs/CMOs for almost twenty years at questionable biotech companies that sell patient data and are currently focusing on bringing “AI to healthcare” which means using patient data to train models.

I call him a CEO that runs companies because HE says he’s a CEO that runs companies. hope that helps!

[cbirt]

The digitization of health records has enabled powerful AI techniques to extract key medical insights from the vast trove of unstructured clinical notes. However, real-world deployment of such models faces risks from dataset shifts. In a new study, Johns Hopkins and Columbia researchers leverage recent advances in language models to improve model robustness across different medical settings.

Electronic health records provide an abundance of free-form text data in the form of doctor’s notes, discharge summaries, radiology reports, and more. Manually reviewing this deluge of unstructured data to glean actionable information is infeasible, given resource constraints. This is where AI promises huge potential benefits – natural language processing models can rapidly analyze text to infer medical conditions, demographic traits, and other vital details.

However, serious safety concerns impede the practical application of such AI techniques in clinical settings. A major challenge is that language patterns and correlations in the texts used for training likely differ substantially from those seen at deployment sites. As a result, performance sharply degrades when models encounter new writing styles and templates.

Continue Reading

[nunuslab24]

What are AI, AGI, and ASI? And the positive impact of AI

Understanding artificial intelligence (AI) involves more than just recognizing lines of code or scripts; it encompasses developing algorithms and models capable of learning from data and making predictions or decisions based on what they’ve learned. To truly grasp the distinctions between the different types of AI, we must look at their capabilities and potential impact on society.

To simplify, we can categorize these types of AI by assigning a power level from 1 to 3, with 1 being the least powerful and 3 being the most powerful. Let’s explore these categories:

1. Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI)

Also known as Narrow AI or Weak AI, ANI is the most common form of AI we encounter today. It is designed to perform a specific task or a narrow range of tasks. Examples include virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa, recommendation systems on Netflix, and image recognition software. ANI operates under a limited set of constraints and can’t perform tasks outside its specific domain. Despite its limitations, ANI has proven to be incredibly useful in automating repetitive tasks, providing insights through data analysis, and enhancing user experiences across various applications.

2. Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)

Referred to as Strong AI, AGI represents the next level of AI development. Unlike ANI, AGI can understand, learn, and apply knowledge across a wide range of tasks, similar to human intelligence. It can reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, and learn from experiences. While AGI remains a theoretical concept as of now, achieving it would mean creating machines capable of performing any intellectual task that a human can. This breakthrough could revolutionize numerous fields, including healthcare, education, and science, by providing more adaptive and comprehensive solutions.

3. Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI)

ASI surpasses human intelligence and capabilities in all aspects. It represents a level of intelligence far beyond our current understanding, where machines could outthink, outperform, and outmaneuver humans. ASI could lead to unprecedented advancements in technology and society. However, it also raises significant ethical and safety concerns. Ensuring ASI is developed and used responsibly is crucial to preventing unintended consequences that could arise from such a powerful form of intelligence.

The Positive Impact of AI

When regulated and guided by ethical principles, AI has the potential to benefit humanity significantly. Here are a few ways AI can help us become better:

• Healthcare: AI can assist in diagnosing diseases, personalizing treatment plans, and even predicting health issues before they become severe. This can lead to improved patient outcomes and more efficient healthcare systems.

• Education: Personalized learning experiences powered by AI can cater to individual student needs, helping them learn at their own pace and in ways that suit their unique styles.

• Environment: AI can play a crucial role in monitoring and managing environmental changes, optimizing energy use, and developing sustainable practices to combat climate change.

• Economy: AI can drive innovation, create new industries, and enhance productivity by automating mundane tasks and providing data-driven insights for better decision-making.

In conclusion, while AI, AGI, and ASI represent different levels of technological advancement, their potential to transform our world is immense. By understanding their distinctions and ensuring proper regulation, we can harness the power of AI to create a brighter future for all.

[andiatas]

H.R.H. Prince Daniel's opening speech at the European Renal Association's congress

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great honour for me to welcome you to Sweden, to Stockholm, and to the 61st ERA Congress.

From the early days of dialysis to the groundbreaking innovations in transplantation, you have continuously pushed the boundaries of what is possible.

However, as we celebrate your achievements, we must also recognise the ongoing challenges we face. The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) continues to rise globally, affecting millions of people and adding to the enormous burden on healthcare systems.

In developing countries, the situation is particularly critical, with many patients lacking access to life-saving treatments. This inequity underscores the urgent need for continued efforts in research, education, and policy advocacy.

The theme of this year's congress, "Innovate, Collaborate, Transform", reflects a collective mission to not only advance scientific knowledge, but also to implement practical solutions that improve patient outcomes.

Over the next few days, we will hear from leading experts who will share the latest research findings, clinical practices, and technological innovations.

A key focus area this year is the role of personalised medicine in kidney care. By tailoring treatments to the individual needs of patients, we can increase the efficacy and reduce side effects, ultimately leading to better outcomes.

This approach, combined with progress in AI and data analytics, holds the promise of revolutionising how we diagnose, treat, and manage kidney diseases.

We must also address the environmental factors impacting kidney health.

Climate change, pollution, and water scarcity are emerging as significant contributors to the global burden of kidney disease. And of course, a healthy lifestyle is crucial!

Ladies and gentlemen,

This year marks 60 years since the first kidney transplantation took place in Sweden, at a hospital called Serafimerlasarettet here in Stockholm. The surgery was performed by Professor Curt Franksson, who grew up in a small municipality two hours north of Stockholm, Ockelbo.

And so did I, but 50 years later.

Our shared history, Professor Franksson’s and mine, does not end there.

Forty-five years after Franksson's first transplantation at Serafimerlasarettet, I found myself at the same hospital, on dialysis, waiting for a kidney transplant.

Today, 15 years later, I am standing here, healthy, and happy with my father's kidney.

The gratitude I feel towards those of you who dedicate your lives to improving opportunities for us patients is indescribable.

Thank you.

Speech held by H.R.H. Prince Daniel at Stockholmsmässan, Älvsjö, Stockholm, on May 23, 2024.

[queenlua]

one of the funniest documents released so far in the google antitrust trial is this set of emails between a Google Ads bigwig and a Google Chrome bigwig, in which the Ads bigwig begs Chrome to roll back some-feature-or-another because buh-buh-buh my ads revenue ;_;

and it's interesting in that it's a pretty clear illustration of both (1) google has so much data, they absolutely have to know that search quality is getting worse, presumably in more intimate quantitative detail than us non-data-havers are ever going to have, but (2) that doesn't matter because merely having that information doesn't mean they'll make wise or good decisions with it

which is not an especially novel observation, but—among e.g. older folks, or less-internet-cynicism-poisoned folks, i still sometimes run into people who kind of take it as a weird article of faith that surely The People In Charge of these companies know what they're doing, and if a decision seems kinda dumb or nearsighted, well, clearly they wouldn't just be doing stuff based on vibes or short-termism, they're too smart for that

i hear this among even people who should know way better? like i know this guy whose late career went through some serious Death-of-a-Salesman type shit due to fuckwits in the hospital administration, and... dude's still like "well surely company is doing [x] for a good reason." like. they're doing it for some reason, sure. but i wouldn't jump to assume a good one!

and i mean for some people i think that kind of thing is a desperate article of faith, because the alternative is just sort of depressing—had a chat with an older couple a while ago, where one of them was like, hey, we're getting older and there's not enough doctors, is this AI stuff going to solve that? and i kinda gave my most diplomatic off-the-cuff thoughts of "uhhh i mean it might be a useful diagnostic tool for certain things but i think healthcare's problems are kinda... deeper... than that?", and the other member of the couple was like, that's right, did you know 70% of healthcare spending is for chronic conditions, AI's only going to help for the remaining 30%, and certainly isn't going to help us much. and the other person was like "i know you're right," but looked a lil deflated—clearly she's worried about getting old, and the only damn thing the press is hyping up is AI, and she's world-wise enough to know the alternative is, uh, kinda bad, so. i get it

(i have a friend whose pet theory is that the Greatest Generation was just disproportionately stuffed with competent people in various governmental/regulatory/business-y posts, because the Great Depression fucked up so many careers that you had overqualified people in a lot of roles that were usually more drudgery-y making sure those jobs got done really well... and ergo the children of that generation have a weirdly high opinion of How Well People Are Running Things... which seems like a kinda dodgy theory to me, but i also saw Joe Coulombe tout this theory in his book about Trader Joe's, so, clearly this theory has some kind of memetic force behind it? idk)

anyway that's a lot of off-the-cuff rambling to say: i'm always glad when a trial leaks a bunch of documents to the public so everyone can see The Boring And Kinda Dumb Ways That Rooms Full O' Bigwigs Decide Things haha

[ultimate-worldbuilding]

Creating a Space Station

Name and Location:

Name of the space station

Orbital location (e.g., around a planet, moon, or in deep space)

Any unique features or characteristics of the location

Background and Purpose:

Brief history and reasons for the station's construction

Primary purpose or mission of the station (e.g., research, colonization, defense, trade, mining, etc.)

Key organizations or entities involved in its establishment

Design and Structure:

Overview of the station's architectural design and layout

Different modules or sections of the station (e.g., living quarters, research labs, docking bays, etc.)

Key engineering feats or technological advancements used in its construction

Size and Population:

Dimensions of the space station (length, width, height)

Estimated population and demographics (humans, aliens, robots, etc.)

Capacity for expansion and accommodating future growth

Systems and Resources:

Life support and Resource systems: Air generation and filtration, Water purification and recycling, Waste management, Artificial gravity, Temperature and air pressure control, Radiation protection, Fire suppression systems, Medical supplies and tools, Food production, Maintenance and Repair tools and facilities

Energy source and storage: Solar power, Nuclear fusion, Advanced batteries, Fusion reactors, Harvesting solar flares

Living Quarters and Facilities

Description of residential areas (individual quarters, communal spaces, recreational facilities)

Water block

Medical facilities and healthcare services available

Education and training facilities for residents and their families

Scientific Research and Laboratories

Different types of laboratories and equipment available depending on the stations’s mission

Astronomical observatories, Biological Laboratory, Climate and Environmental Studies, Planet observation and Research, Rock Analysis Facility

Transportation and Docking:

Docking bays for spacecraft and shuttle services

Transportation systems within the station (elevators, maglev trains, etc.)

Maintenance and repair facilities for visiting spacecraft

Security and Defense:

Security measures and protocols

Defense systems against potential threats: Shielding technology, Defensive satellites & space drones, Cloaking Technology, Countermeasures (flares, countershots, etc), Intruder Detection Systems, Surveillance and AI protection, Protection by AI or Hacker from outside hacks, Self-Repair System

Security personnel and their roles and ranks

Communication and Information Systems:

Communication technology used for inter-station and interstellar communication

Data storage and retrieval systems

Access to networks anddatabases

Trade and Economy:

Types of goods and resources traded on the station

Cargo of the space station

Economic systems

Currency used

Marketplaces within the station

Social and Cultural Aspects:

Societal norms and cultural diversity among the station's residents

Recreational and entertainment facilities (cinemas, sports arenas, etc.)

Events or celebrations unique to the station's culture

Governance and Administration:

Station hierarchy and governing bodies (administrators, council, etc.)

Laws and regulations specific to the station

Interactions with external governing entities (planetary governments, interstellar alliances, etc.)

Exploration and Discovery:

Expeditions or missions launched from the station

Discoveries made during exploration and sample gathering efforts

Spacecrafts and vehicles associated with the station's exploration activities

Environmental Considerations:

Measures taken to mitigate the effects of microgravity or radiation on residents' health

Environmental controls and simulations for recreating gravity and natural environments

Preservation of ecosystems and biodiversity on the station (if applicable)

Emergency Response and Crisis Management:

Protocols for handling emergencies (fires, system failures, medical emergencies, etc.)

Emergency evacuation plans and escape pods

Training programs for emergency response teams

Relations with Other Space Stations or Entities:

Collaborative projects or joint initiatives with other space stations

Trade agreements or diplomatic relations with neighboring stations or colonies

Conflict resolution mechanisms for inter-station disputes

Notable Individuals or Figures:

Prominent leaders from the station

Accomplishments and contributions of notable residents

Astronauts, scientists, or pioneers who have called the station home

Challenges and Risks:

Environmental and technological risks faced by the station

Political and social tensions within the station's community

External threats and conflicts affecting the station's stability

Future Expansion and Development:

Plans for future expansion and upgrades (where are they gonna get the resources for this?)

Integration of new technologies, scientific advancements into the station's infrastructure

Long-term goals for the station

[pynkhues]

Hi I was wondering what your thoughts are about the WGA going on strike? Would like to know what you think the effect that would have on media and what that actually means when writers going strike.

I unequivocally support the strike, anon.

To say that the negotiations between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have broken down would be to imply that they ever got anywhere at all. Pretty much all of WGA’s proposals have been met with rejections and no counter offers, effectively resulting in AMPTP forcing the WGA’s hand. You can read the summary of the negotiations here if you’re interested, but in essence, it boils down to five factors:

Increasing wages and base residuals

Establishing viewership-based residuals and transparency around audience

Preserving the writers room through minimum staffing + more secure contracts as opposed to freelancing

Every staffed writer to get pension and healthcare

Regulating use of AI, ensuring AI can’t write or rewrite literary material, can’t be used as source material, and MBA-covered material can’t be used to train AI.

Pretty much all of these were either outright refused by the AMPTP or seriously lowballed, which not only hugely devalues the writing industry as a whole, but is outright insulting when you see the producers and CEOs of these major corporations taking pay packets of between $40-$230million while writing residuals have dropped so much as to not even cover a writer’s monthly rent for an apartment anymore.

For some context on that, and those five factors I summarized above, I’d highly recommend watching this:

So, how did we get here?

This is partially answered in the above video, but ultimately the erosion of the writers room and writing residuals comes from streaming. The ways in which corporations make money off TV shows and movies has drastically changed, particularly around international sales (which I talked about a bit here) and re-runs, as international streamers have effectively killed both. What this means is that sales which used to lead to backend payments bolstering network profits, advertising sales and residuals for the creatives are all diluted.

This dilution is then obscured by corporations such as Netflix and Amazon Prime being deliberately vague about viewership, subscribers and more, creating a new industry culture that utilizes lack of transparency to ensure corporations make bank, while the creatives involved in various shows see increasingly less of the backend profits of their work.

This devalues creative talent, particularly writers. It’s company over content, it’s brand over story, and it’s profits over people.

A quick note on auteur TV

This is neither here nor there for the strike in particular (and really feels like a whole other post), but I do think that the focus on auteur-driven TV from streamers has also had a huge impact on dividing and conquering writers, and making certain writers complicit in the system that devalues their artform as a whole.

The streaming wars saw a huge uptick in auteur driven shows, as snapping up creative talent effectively took Hollywood back to the old studio system (which is fascinating in and of itself), but while these writers got big deals (The Duffer Brothers reportedly got a nine-figure deal) it saw budget reduce for writers rooms generally. There’s notorious industry gossip about the Duffers’ making their writers assistant redundant and replacing her with an unpaid intern, for instance, a story that’s becoming increasingly less and less surprising with auteur showrunners. The diminishment of junior roles in the writers room has a huge tap-on effect to the industry at large, limiting career pathways, creative experience, and flattening the writing ecosystem.

While it's about snapping up creative talent, I also do think it's about these corporations having something they can point to to show they're not the only ones making serious money, but showrunners like the Duffers' are red herrings, and often not paying it forwards to the industry they're treated as giants in. Again - whole other post though, haha.

 So what happens now?

Kind of a lot of things, actually. Late night’s shutting down, as is SNL, and all shows that were still actively writing will cease production. Yelllowjackets, Abbott Elementary, Big Mouth, Good Omens and more have been stopped, and we’ll likely see pretty much everything else stop too in the coming weeks, especially if crews go on strike in solidarity, which is looking like a real possibility. I also imagine AMPTP will probably want the strike to go for 45 days themselves, because that’s when the force majeure parts of existing deals activate, meaning they can cancel development on shows and movies they’d previously greenlit and effectively scrap their development slates and start over.

The Directors Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild are about to go into negotiations with AMPTP as well (the WGA deadline was 1 May, DGA and SAG-AFTRAs is 30 June), and given the hardline the AMPTP took with writers, it seems like the directors and actors are poised to strike too, which would have a lot of implications.

Matthew Belloni, a longstanding, very legit entertainment journalist, posited three potential outcomes in his newsletter this week after talking to industry insiders. He said:

If there is a strike, here are three different scenarios for how it could play out, based on conversations I’ve had this week with labor veterans:

1. The July Scenario: If both the DGA and SAG-AFTRA make deals at the end of June, the writers will find themselves on a lonely island and will likely settle. 2. The September Scenario: The fall broadcast schedule is impacted, the movie pipeline begins to suffer, the Emmys are threatened, and the companies feel they have made their cost cuts over the summer and can justify giving a little to make a deal. 3. The December Scenario: Everyone, including the streamers, begins to run out of scripted programs, the substitutes and unscripted fare aren’t generating equivalent viewership, and people start canceling subscriptions. Both sides panic, get together, and make a deal.

Here’s hoping for either the September or December scenario at this point, as they’re what’s going to give the writers leverage in negotiating, but yeah – it does mean we’re in for the long haul.

In the meantime, I think the media landscape is going to be a lot of unscripted shows and probably a lot of foreign imports. We're just going to have to wait and see.

[femastyle]

AI and the Future of Humanity: What Lies Ahead?

As we stand at the edge of a new era, artificial intelligence (AI) has caught our attention. This technology is set to change our lives in many ways. It will alter how we work, communicate, and tackle global problems. The big question is: what does the future hold for AI and humans?

Key Takeaways

The profound impact of artificial intelligence on society, from automation to job displacement

The rapid advancements in machine learning and their implications for the future

The critical importance of ethical considerations in the development of AI technologies

The complex relationship between humans and machines as we navigate the path of coexistence

The potential risks and benefits of AI, including predictions about the AI singularity

The role of governance and regulation in shaping the future of AI, particularly in sensitive domains like healthcare

The need for a balanced and thoughtful approach to embracing the transformative power of AI

There is a future book to learn more about artificial intelligence and its impact on humanity

https://dableustore.gumroad.com/l/AiFutureofHumanity

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing our world fast. It’s making healthcare better and changing how we travel. Machine learning, a key part of AI, is leading this change.

AI Impact on Society

AI is making our lives easier. In healthcare, it helps find diseases early and plan treatments better. It’s also making cars drive themselves, which could cut down on traffic and make roads safer.

Machine Learning Advancements

Machine learning has made huge strides. Now, AI can understand and create human-like language. It can also make smart choices based on lots of data. These changes are bringing new ideas to many fields.

AI Impact on Society Machine Learning Advancements

Improved healthcare outcomes

Autonomous transportation solutions

Personalized services and recommendations

Deep learning algorithms

Natural language processing breakthroughs

Predictive analytics and data-driven decision-making

As AI and machine learning grow, we must think about their big impact. We need to make sure these technologies help us all and are used for good.

There is a future book to learn more about artificial intelligence and its impact on humanity

https://dableustore.gumroad.com/l/AiFutureofHumanity

“The true impact of artificial intelligence will be felt when it is seamlessly integrated into the fabric of our daily lives, enhancing our experiences and empowering us to achieve more.” — AI Thought Leader

Ethical Considerations in AI Development

Artificial intelligence (AI) is growing fast, and we must tackle its ethical issues. Ethical AI development and AI safety and control are key. They help us use this powerful tech responsibly.

Algorithmic bias is a big problem. AI can make old biases worse, causing unfair results. It’s important for developers to find and fix these biases. They should use data that’s fair and unbiased.

Privacy and security are also big concerns. AI needs lots of data, which raises privacy questions. We need strong privacy rules and clear data use to protect our information.

AI could be misused, like in making harmful weapons or spreading false info. We need rules and guidelines to keep AI positive. This ensures it helps people, not harms them.

Fixing these issues needs teamwork from AI makers, lawmakers, ethicists, and the public. By focusing on ethical AI, we can use its benefits while avoiding risks. This way, AI can help us all in the long run.

“The greatest challenge for AI is to ensure that it is developed and used in a way that is beneficial to humanity as a whole, not just a select few.”

Navigating Human-AI Coexistence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is getting smarter, making our relationship with machines more complex. This part talks about the good and bad sides of living with AI. We need to figure out how to work together with AI without losing jobs.

AI is changing our lives, and it’s both exciting and scary. It can make things better and faster, but it also worries us about losing jobs. We need to work together to find ways to keep jobs safe while using AI’s power.

Good rules and laws are key to making AI and humans get along. We need rules that protect our privacy and make sure AI acts like us. It’s important to keep people safe and happy as we use AI to make our lives better.

There is a future book to learn more about artificial intelligence and its impact on humanity

https://dableustore.gumroad.com/l/AiFutureofHumanity