When I was in undergraduate computer science a decade ago, all the rage was about functional programming languages like Haskell. To our wearied reactions to having to program in the clunky syntax and un-intuitive constructs of Haskell we were always told, "but the value of pure functional languages is they enable you to /reason mathematically about the behaviour of code/." Lurking in the background all the while was the spectre of Big Data. You are right; the AI vogue is all driven by the illusion that if we just throw enough data at an unpredictable system it will yield useful results. So much for a future of bug-free software with algorithmic behaviour as transparent as a mathematical proof. It's rather a case of an open proclamation that, "who cares how it works, as long as it seems like it does." Why this approach is manifesting so soon in precisely the sectors, like health and criminal justice where robust analysis is the most critical, is rather troubling.
Yes I agree and not just with health I have always thought the whole AI/data thing is overhyped - they miss soul, intuition/music of the mind and all those things that make life worth bothering with
There never should be a replacement for a face to face consultation with a specialist. The nuances involved when trying to gather information from a patient go beyond words or signs and symptoms. As a retired nurse I have observed expert doctors go deeply beyond what their patients have said to them, they can see fear, evasion, anger, embarrassment, discomfort and many more emotions that tell them to dig further into the problem and it can produce remarkable insight into what is happening to the patient. Humans are complex beings and a cookie cutter approach to assessing their problems can be detrimental to their health outcomes.
What a brilliant article. You have crystallised, in a very coherent fashion, many thoughts that have been floating around my head for some time now.
As I started to read, my mind flicked back 55 years to when I started an electronic & electrical engineering degree course. One of the first lectures was given by a very bright bloke whom I shall call 'Doc Rock'. He asked a question of us: "What is engineering?".
A room full of smart assed eighteen year old students came back with the predictable drivel - "Applied science" . . . and so on. He tolerated it for a few minutes & then said something that has stuck with me ever since; "Engineering is doing something for half a dollar that any damned fool can do for a quid".
A few minutes later, Doc Rock shared the implications of an old chestnut - of which you've shared a variant; "Better, faster or cheaper. Pick two". Plus ca change.
What are the chances that anybody in authority would read, understand & act upon this article's wisdom? Our political & administrative masters are so corrupted or useless that they'd simply bin it immediately.
TPTB will be foisting all sorts of rubbish on us very soon. Health matters, predicted criminal intent and so on, all tied to facial recognition & digital ID. Thugs in uniforms (previously known as 'the police') will soon be kicking our doors in based upon a whole host of AI/Computer based excuses.
When I was in undergraduate computer science a decade ago, all the rage was about functional programming languages like Haskell. To our wearied reactions to having to program in the clunky syntax and un-intuitive constructs of Haskell we were always told, "but the value of pure functional languages is they enable you to /reason mathematically about the behaviour of code/." Lurking in the background all the while was the spectre of Big Data. You are right; the AI vogue is all driven by the illusion that if we just throw enough data at an unpredictable system it will yield useful results. So much for a future of bug-free software with algorithmic behaviour as transparent as a mathematical proof. It's rather a case of an open proclamation that, "who cares how it works, as long as it seems like it does." Why this approach is manifesting so soon in precisely the sectors, like health and criminal justice where robust analysis is the most critical, is rather troubling.
Yes I agree and not just with health I have always thought the whole AI/data thing is overhyped - they miss soul, intuition/music of the mind and all those things that make life worth bothering with
There never should be a replacement for a face to face consultation with a specialist. The nuances involved when trying to gather information from a patient go beyond words or signs and symptoms. As a retired nurse I have observed expert doctors go deeply beyond what their patients have said to them, they can see fear, evasion, anger, embarrassment, discomfort and many more emotions that tell them to dig further into the problem and it can produce remarkable insight into what is happening to the patient. Humans are complex beings and a cookie cutter approach to assessing their problems can be detrimental to their health outcomes.
What a brilliant article. You have crystallised, in a very coherent fashion, many thoughts that have been floating around my head for some time now.
As I started to read, my mind flicked back 55 years to when I started an electronic & electrical engineering degree course. One of the first lectures was given by a very bright bloke whom I shall call 'Doc Rock'. He asked a question of us: "What is engineering?".
A room full of smart assed eighteen year old students came back with the predictable drivel - "Applied science" . . . and so on. He tolerated it for a few minutes & then said something that has stuck with me ever since; "Engineering is doing something for half a dollar that any damned fool can do for a quid".
A few minutes later, Doc Rock shared the implications of an old chestnut - of which you've shared a variant; "Better, faster or cheaper. Pick two". Plus ca change.
What are the chances that anybody in authority would read, understand & act upon this article's wisdom? Our political & administrative masters are so corrupted or useless that they'd simply bin it immediately.
TPTB will be foisting all sorts of rubbish on us very soon. Health matters, predicted criminal intent and so on, all tied to facial recognition & digital ID. Thugs in uniforms (previously known as 'the police') will soon be kicking our doors in based upon a whole host of AI/Computer based excuses.