Industry Watcher’s Digest

Buzzworthy developments of the past few days.

• More than a third of U.S. workers fret over AI’s potential to take their job. The American Psychological Association found this out upon surveying more than 2,500 employed adults. Among those who harbor worries about AI at work, 75% think technology will take over some or all of their duties within the next 10 years. And 46% plan to look for new work before their employer gets a chance to send a pink slip. Survey report here. 
   
• On the other hand, healthcare workers might look to AI as something of a savior. Chris Ciabarra, chief technology officer of Athena Security, tells why in a piece Forbes published Sept. 7. Ciabarra outlines some ways AI can help protect nurses and doctors from violent patients and visitors, keep burnout at bay, hedge against malpractice suits and promote healthy living. He says using technology to improve life for care professionals is a moral imperative. Read the piece.
   
• AI presents pediatric specialists with unique sets of opportunities and challenges. Commentary published Sept. 7 in Contemporary Pediatrics lays out the basics on both. “How comfortable are we allowing generative AI to intervene in direct patient care for children specifically?” writes Matthew Fradkin, MD, a pediatrician, clinical informaticist and digital health consultant practicing in Seattle. “Automated tasks by AI may be tolerated in the adult patient population, but those same uses may not be as safe or worthwhile in the pediatric population.” Read the whole thing.
   
• Out with AI hallucinations, in with AI misinformation. The terminology, not the actual misinformation. Researchers in the psychiatry department at the University of Florida College of Medicine call for the word swap in a peer-reviewed article published Sept. 5 in Cureus. “We believe the term ‘AI misinformation’ to be more appropriate [than ‘AI hallucinations’],” they write, “and avoids contributing to stigmatization.”
   
• Half of employed Americans who are looking for a new job believe AI tools used by recruiters are more biased than humans. The American Staffing Association points out the figure emerges from an online poll just weeks after the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released guidance on how to incorporate AI into a job search while still adhering to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The association’s CEO, Richard Wahlquist, warns: “[I]t’s critical that hiring managers work to increase transparency and accountability in their hiring processes and use tools that meet current and emerging antibias standards.” News release.
   
• Handheld ultrasound maker Clarius has been named a Frost & Sullivan company of the year for its system using AI to acquire diagnostic-quality images. F&S calls Clarius’s ultraportable, AI-outfitted ultrasound machines “a top choice for budget-conscious medical institutions and health systems that do not want to sacrifice quality for cost.” Announcement.
   
• Just under 50% of Gen Z-ers in middle school, high school or college have used generative AI to get information about something. About 28% have used it to learn something new outside of school. And some 61% have tapped the technology to entertain themselves. Touchstone Research polled 931 students and is presenting key findings in a scrollable infographic.
   
• From AIinHealthcare’s news partners:
   
  • Radiology Business: GE HealthCare, Mass General Brigham partner to create AI algorithm for improving radiology operations
  • Cardiovascular Business: Multimodality imaging helps cardiologists manage heart failure patients—with an assist from AI
  • Radiology Business: New study may provide model for assessing AI performance in real-world settings
  • Radiology Business: FDA clears AI software for aiding interventional radiologists during image-guided procedures