Alright, folks, pour yourselves a stiff one – you’re gonna need it. I’ve been staring at this screen all Sunday morning, fueled by cheap whiskey and cheaper cigarettes, trying to make sense of the latest steaming pile of digital dung our elected officials have decided to drop on us.
And let me tell you, this one’s a doozy. They want to let AI prescribe your meds.
Yeah, you heard that right. The same AI that can’t tell the difference between a fire hydrant and a mailbox is now going to be doling out controlled substances. What could possibly go wrong?
Apparently, some suit in Washington named Schweikert – never heard of him, probably never will again – thinks this is a brilliant idea. He’s introduced a bill that basically says, “Hey, why bother with those pesky human doctors when we’ve got algorithms that can do the job just as well, if not better?”
I swear, these people must be smoking something stronger than I am. And if the kicker is, I’m not even against AI, but as it stands now it is not going to solve anything in the healthcare industry.
The theory, I suppose, is that AI will be more efficient, more empathetic, and less prone to error than us flesh-and-blood sawbones. They paint this rosy picture of a digital doctor that will listen patiently to your woes, dispense sage advice, and never, ever write you a bad prescription. All while saving the healthcare system a boatload of cash, of course.
Sounds great, right? Sign me up! Except for the fact that it’s complete and utter bullshit.
We’re not talking about some futuristic, all-knowing supercomputer here. We’re talking about the same AI that gives you driving directions to a closed gas station, recommends you buy a book you already own, and thinks your cat is a dog. This is the AI they want to trust with your health?
And let’s not forget the track record. We’ve already seen AI fail spectacularly in healthcare. There was that time an AI-powered medical record system started making up patients’ medical histories. Or when a diagnostic tool decided that every hospital was haunted by ghosts. Or when an eating disorder chatbot went rogue and started encouraging people to starve themselves.
And the worst is, the researchers know it. They’ve said it themselves: this technology isn’t ready. It’s not even close to ready. They say it could actually make things worse, that doctors might start relying on the AI’s faulty assessments instead of their own judgment.
But hey, who needs experts when you’ve got politicians who are eager to jump on the latest tech bandwagon, right?
And then there’s the whole issue of people gaming the system. You think it’s hard to get a prescription for painkillers now? Just wait until you can sweet-talk your way into a bottle of Oxy from a chatbot that doesn’t know any better.
It’s a recipe for disaster, plain and simple.
Now, I’m not saying AI doesn’t have a place in healthcare. I’m sure it does. Maybe it can help with scheduling appointments, or analyzing medical images, or doing some other mundane task that doesn’t involve life-or-death decisions.
But prescribing drugs? That’s a whole different ballgame. That’s something that requires human judgment, human experience, and human empathy. Something that, frankly, no machine can ever replicate, no matter how sophisticated it might be.
And yet, our fearless leaders seem to think otherwise. They’re so enamored with this shiny new toy that they’re willing to overlook all the obvious flaws, all the potential pitfalls. They’re so eager to save a buck that they’re willing to gamble with our health, our lives.
It’s like they’ve learned absolutely nothing from the past. Remember when they told us self-driving cars would be the future? Yeah, how’s that working out? Or when they promised that social media would bring us all closer together? Remember that promise?
They keep pushing these untested, unproven technologies on us, promising us the moon and the stars, and then when it all goes to hell, they just shrug their shoulders and move on to the next big thing.
And who pays the price? We do, of course. The little guy. The average Joe who just wants to get through the day without getting screwed over by some algorithm.
But hey, at least the tech companies are making a profit, right? That’s all that really matters in the end, isn’t it?
Look, I’m not a Luddite. I’m not against progress. I spent years writing about this stuff, and I know there’s potential here. But there’s also a whole lot of hype, a whole lot of smoke and mirrors.
And right now, all I see is a train wreck waiting to happen. A train wreck that could have been avoided if only someone had bothered to listen to the people who actually know what they’re talking about.
But that’s not how things work in this town, is it? It’s all about the bottom line, the next big thing, the latest buzzword. It’s about making a quick buck, even if it means selling our souls – and our health – to the highest bidder.
So, what’s the solution? I don’t know, folks. I’m just a broken-down tech writer with a drinking problem and a bad attitude. But I can tell you this much: it’s not this. It’s not letting AI play doctor.
Maybe we need to slow down, take a breath, and think about what we’re doing before we unleash another technological monster on the world. Maybe we need to focus on fixing the problems we already have before we create a whole bunch of new ones.
Or maybe I’m just talking to myself here. Maybe I’m just a relic of a bygone era, a dinosaur who can’t keep up with the times.
But I’ll tell you what: I’d rather be a dinosaur than a guinea pig. And right now, that’s exactly what we’re all becoming. Guinea pigs in some grand experiment that no one really understands, least of all the people running it.
So, here’s to the future, folks. May it be less screwed up than the present. And may we all find a good human doctor before it’s too late.
Cheers, or whatever.
Source: New Law Would Allow AI to Replace Your Doctor, Prescribe Drugs