AI in the Doctor's Office

[barnhart]

I think this is the important point here. AI is being used as a support tool to streamline time-intensive note-taking processes. It doesn’t sound like it’s making diagnoses.

Is it possible that someday AI will be used to diagnose patients? Probably. But it doesn’t sound like from what people are saying here that we’re there yet.

Do you really think AI/LLM technology will be an exception to the rest of the industrial revolution and capitalism, which generally hasn't resulted in better conditions for labor, but certainly has resulted in more concentration of power and wealth in the hands of the capital class?

Has the plight of workers improved or worsened in the past 150-200 years since the start of the industrial revolution?

I would say the relationship curves, conditions worsened significantly then labor pushed back and conditions improved and now the drift is regressing.

[Ken]

Do you really think AI/LLM technology will be an exception to the rest of the industrial revolution and capitalism, which generally hasn't resulted in better conditions for labor, but certainly has resulted in more concentration of power and wealth in the hands of the capital class?

Has the plight of workers improved or worsened in the past 150-200 years since the start of the industrial revolution?

I would say the relationship curves, conditions worsened significantly then labor pushed back and conditions improved and now the drift is regressing.

The industrial revolution also made us into a vastly wealthier society so there are just way more resources to go around even if the robber barons skim off more than their share.

[JohnH]

The industrial revolution also made us into a vastly wealthier society so there are just way more resources to go around even if the robber barons skim off more than their share.

This is the argument free-traders made that, sure, your local mom & pop stores went out of business, and there aren't good jobs anymore, but at least you can buy cheaper stuff at Wal-Mart...

... until the covid pandemic happened, inflation spiralled out of control, and now stuff at Wal-Mart is (a) poor quality and (b) not even that cheap.

[Szdfan]

The industrial revolution also made us into a vastly wealthier society so there are just way more resources to go around even if the robber barons skim off more than their share.

This is the argument free-traders made that, sure, your local mom & pop stores went out of business, and there aren't good jobs anymore, but at least you can buy cheaper stuff at Wal-Mart...

... until the covid pandemic happened, inflation spiralled out of control, and now stuff at Wal-Mart is (a) poor quality and (b) not even that cheap.

So in other words, technology alienates us, free trade betrayed us and now Wal-Mart is too expensive.

Comrade, just say the words: “seize the means of production.”

[JohnH]

The industrial revolution also made us into a vastly wealthier society so there are just way more resources to go around even if the robber barons skim off more than their share.

This is the argument free-traders made that, sure, your local mom & pop stores went out of business, and there aren't good jobs anymore, but at least you can buy cheaper stuff at Wal-Mart...

... until the covid pandemic happened, inflation spiralled out of control, and now stuff at Wal-Mart is (a) poor quality and (b) not even that cheap.

So in other words, technology alienates us, free trade betrayed us and now Wal-Mart is too expensive.

Comrade, just say the words: “seize the means of production.”

Do you think Walmart-ification (and Amazon-ification) is a good thing?

[Szdfan]

This is the argument free-traders made that, sure, your local mom & pop stores went out of business, and there aren't good jobs anymore, but at least you can buy cheaper stuff at Wal-Mart...

... until the covid pandemic happened, inflation spiralled out of control, and now stuff at Wal-Mart is (a) poor quality and (b) not even that cheap.

So in other words, technology alienates us, free trade betrayed us and now Wal-Mart is too expensive.

Comrade, just say the words: “seize the means of production.”

Do you think Walmart-ification (and Amazon-ification) is a good thing?

I don’t. I’m just pointing out that I’ve heard your argument before from Karl Marx

[JohnH]

So in other words, technology alienates us, free trade betrayed us and now Wal-Mart is too expensive.

Comrade, just say the words: “seize the means of production.”

Do you think Walmart-ification (and Amazon-ification) is a good thing?

I don’t. I’m just pointing out that I’ve heard your argument before from Karl Marx

I’m not sure what some dead Germany guy who refused to pay his housekeeper has to do with anything.

[Szdfan]

Do you think Walmart-ification (and Amazon-ification) is a good thing?

I don’t. I’m just pointing out that I’ve heard your argument before from Karl Marx

I’m not sure what some dead Germany guy who refused to pay his housekeeper has to do with anything.

You mean other than the fact that you are using classical Marxist critique?

[Bootstrap]

The dystopic side of AI more income inequality and more concentration of power in the hands of the elite

For medicine, it might have the opposite effect, making it possible for doctors to more efficiently find the information they need to diagnose patients. And for some kinds of medical imaging, AI is actually better than human beings.

In the second and third worlds, AI might enable doctors to diagnose things that otherwise would be beyond their grasp.

[Bootstrap]

Do you think Walmart-ification (and Amazon-ification) is a good thing?

I'm trying to think what that would mean in the context of healthcare.

Walmart-ification probably means a focus on low prices via standardization, scale, cost control, and logistics. Walmart Health Centers have walk-in availability and transparent pricing, they are cheaper than most clinics, and good for routine care - vaccinations, check-ups, strep tests, etc. You don't get an ongoing relationship with a doctor, they aren't the place to go for cancer or surgery, but I think they meet a real need. And Walmart has played a role in reducing the prices of drugs. So I think Walmart has made some kinds of healthcare cheaper and more accessible. Especially for people who are not well served by traditional clinics.

Amazon-ification of Healthcare. Maybe that means using technology, logistics, and customer data to deliver fast, convenient, customer-focused service? Amazon Clinic and Amazon Pharmacy are doing Telehealth and home delivery of prescriptions at a cheaper price.

In both cases, I think bringing down the price of prescription drugs is a very good thing, and it's really helpful to be able to talk to a doctor about routine problems without having to drive somewhere and take time off of work. In general, I think they are good for some things and bad for others.