AVOIDING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)

/ The Coastal Crone

Artificial Intelligence seems to be everywhere.   When I Goggle AI, even an “AI Overview” informs me that it  “… refers to the simulation of human intelligence processes in machines, enabling them to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence like learning, reasoning and problem-solving.”  The AI Overview comes up first and I must scroll down to view other definitions.

I acknowledge that AI is transforming the world and that I don’t really understand how it

AI chip artificial intelligence, future technology innovation

works.  Hopefully, it will be used in a manner to make life and our world better.  Or as some predict, it will destroy humanity, the economy, art – take your pick.  The effects are probably all around me without my even being aware of it. This week it surfaced in an unexpected way.

I went to see an orthopedist for a minor issue with my hand.  The next day I was able to view the physician’s notes on the patient portal.  At the end of his notes was this statement:  “Parts of this encounter note have been generated by AI based on audio conversation. Patient consent was required prior to utilizing this technology. Content review was required prior to finalizing the note.”

While I will not be a Luddite railing against this new “machine” and the displacement of jobs, I will be cautious of its use and misuse.  Perhaps I will still light a candle to summon my muse for creative assistance.

28 thoughts on “AVOIDING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)”

  3. I always skip over the AI summary; it is usually inaccurate anyway. I can still think and analyze for myself and I have no intention of stopping. My most amused is when AI says “what you probably meant is…” as if I did not know what I wanted when the reality was AI cannot think, just copy and paste what it finds– if it cannot find it, that must not be what I wanted,eh? I had a few students who would copy and paste from multiple sources and get upset when I would explain their essay did not respond to the question asked. Now instructors give them permission to use AI. I am all for my doctor utilizing robot arms for surgery, but I still expect him to guide the outcome!

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  5. I just recently became aware of the AI summary. I actually found it beneficial for the thing I was researching because it listed the sources it used. I searched the sources it didn’t use and could see whether they agreed with AI or not.

    The WordPress AI helper bot is not as accurate or useful as I would like, but it is still learning, I think. Like many things in life, it is a good idea to use your own common sense and skepticism!

    The important thing, I think, is that AI should always be identified as AI. I would also like to know who ‘trained’ the AI bot, because that determines the bias.

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    • The AI summary is not very useful to me as I tend to skip reading it but I can see it might be useful in some ways. So far I haven’t used WordPress helper – maybe it can solve some issues for me? Yes, having it identified would be important and where the training came from. And there are so many out there. Thanks for sharing your opinions!

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  6. That’s a bit scary that AI is being used for medical records! Did they really ask you beforehand if that was okay? Whenever I have a customer service problem, it’s ALWAYS to complicated for AI to handle. I sure hope companies keep humans around for backup help.

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    • I am sure at some point in the check-in process I agreed or acknowledged it without reading everything. It was a fairly accurate description of a simple visit but even without the disclaimer it was a bit different from most clinical notes. Oh, well, I won’t be having to go back. Good to hear from you, Marie!

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    • Oh, I am sure my consent or acknowledgement was in there somewhere. But I would think HIPPA would cover AI but no personal data seems safe these days. Thankfully, I don’t have to have a return visit and will continue to stay away from physicians as I can. Thanks for stopping by.

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  8. hello Jo. I haven’t encountered a situation with AI listening in on a visit to my doctor. And I’m not at all comfortable with the idea. I will check with my doctor whether she uses AI and if so whether she always gets consent from her clients. Incidentally, AI just changed visit to lizard. Very very strange how does that make sense?

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    • From what I understand AI just takes the doctor’s voice dictation notes and creates a summery. I did not have a problem with it but was just surprised as my primary care physician does not use it. Let us know what your physician says about it. AI thinks it knows everything!!

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  9. Yes, AI is everywhere now. Meta has used two of my novels (without my permission) to train AI. Countless other authors have had their works used in the same way. And there’s nothing we can do about it. Copyright laws are so lax.

    I’m sure AI has many good applications, but I think the tech companies are having a hard time controlling how they are being used and how AI is responding, especially to vulnerable people. This is a huge concern.

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    • I have read about AI using novels to train AI. Wonder what it learned from your novels? It seems tech companies are more concerned about profits and getting ahead of the competition than any safeguards. Yes, AI can take advantage of the vulnerable. Thanks for sharing your experience.

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  10. I’ve found so many errors in AI synopses I never look at them any more. And, to be quite honest, there are a couple of blogs I’ve stopped reading because they’re utilizing AI content — and have given their AI ‘helpers’ personal names. That’s just creepy. I know that AI has many legitimate uses, but it doesn’t function well when it comes to creative endeavors like music or writing (or photography, for that matter). Technical assistance is one thing; content generation is another. It can be pretty easy to spot AI generated content: ‘bland’ comes to mind.

    Were you asked to give permission for doctor to use AI in the visit notes?

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    • Oh, I agree entirely about no using AI for creative efforts which is different from technical assistance. I have not come across named AI helpers on blogs but that is rather creepy.

      I signed to give the usual permission without paying any attention to it. I think their letting me know afterward was just to cover themselves. The notes were accurate but rather bland and impersonal. To me it was just a technical tool, but I don’t have to return for a follow-up visit. I will live with my condition.

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  13. AI sucks, imo!

    Yes, it can and will do a lot of good. It will, and already is doing a lot of bad.

    The first I ever heard was – It can predict forest and bush fires before they start. That was a few years ago. Then why are we burning down every summer?

    “They” apply AI to things that take jobs from people, and dehumanize the arts. You could be 2 years old, or 80 years old and end up in a porn movie. Medicine and War (always WAR is #1 with progress) are a big AI applications right now.

    You can’t stop progress, there’s too much $$$ at stake for the 1%. They are shoving it down our throats. Young ones will grow up not knowing anything different.

    So, I’ll continue with my manual sewing and drawing.

    Thing is; AI makes a lot of mistakes. After all it is gathering its data from humans, the most flawed creature on the planet.

    And the evil people will use it for evil, beyond belief.

    Thanks Jo!

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