Industry Watcher’s Digest

Buzzworthy developments of the past few days.

• Oh no. Another AI doomsday divination? Well, yeah. Sorry. But this one might be different. The report issuing the worrisome warning was commissioned by the U.S. Department of State. Its authors are executives with a small but influential firm called Gladstone AI. They’ve been advising the federal government on AI since 2021. Here’s the money quote from their intro section: “Given the growing risk to national security posed by rapidly expanding AI capabilities from weaponization and loss of control—and particularly, the fact that the ongoing proliferation of these capabilities serves to amplify both risks—there is a clear and urgent need for the U.S. government to intervene.” The next line says something about “catastrophic national security risks.” The report goes on to recommend concrete steps to head off said catastrophe. Gladstone introduces and links the report here. Time magazine has a worthwhile take on the work here.
   
• Last week’s return of Sam Altman to OpenAI may pour gasoline on the Gladstone report firestorm. As Axios tech watcher Scott Rosenberg puts it, Altman’s comeback signals that AI will be, as feared by many, “shaped by rich men and the markets that made them rich, not by the scientists and engineers who are building it or the governments that will have to deal with its impact.”
   
• But wait. Before it ends the world, AI will revolutionize healthcare—and for the better. (Emphasis added.) So believe the authors of a friendly-voiced report from the customer experience agency Hero Digital. The bulk of the report recommends helpful action items for healthcare leaders wishing to “scale AI impact without being worried about losing people’s trust.” Worth a read.
   
• A new consortium of healthcare leaders has formed with and around Microsoft. Calling itself TRAIN for Trustworthy & Responsible AI Network, the group says its aim will be to “operationalize responsible AI principles to improve the quality, safety and trustworthiness of AI in health.” Provider members of note are many. Announcement here, Microsoft blog post here.
   
• The Train consortium introduced itself at HIMSS24, which is underway now in Orlando. Lots more healthcare AI news is coming from there. Keep up with the headlines by way of HIMSS’s own conference coverage.
   
• Meta’s AI strategists have designed a kind of large-language model that learns from video rather than text. The Facebook/Instagram parent says it’ll use the technology to “power our entire video ecosystem.” The model will refine video searches for users while putting advertisers’ wares in front of likely interested eyeballs. CNBC gives the gist.
   
• Understatement of the week? “There’s challenges in terms of how this is shaping maybe how people think about real life human relationships with others.” The speaker is AP tech-culture journalist Haleluya Hadero. The “this” to which she refers is the use of chatbots to relieve loneliness. The quote is from an interview Hadero gave to PBS. Video and transcript here. (Note: The transcript refers to a popular companion bot as “replica.” Ahem. The proper name of “the AI companion who cares” is Replika.)
   
• A few upcoming events of note:
   
  • AMIA 2024 Informatics Summit. Boston, March 18-21.
     
  • SIIM’s AI-Enabled Radiology Practices: Strategies For Effective Post-Production Monitoring Of AI Algorithms. Webinar, March 19.
     
  • Digital Pathology & AI Congress: USA. San Diego, May 7-8.
     
  • Reuters Events: Digital Health 2024. San Diego, May 14-15.
     
  • Artificial Intelligence Risk Summit. Half Moon Bay, Calif., June 25-26.
     
• From AIin.Healthcare’s news partners:
   
  • Health Imaging: University developing AI-enhanced imaging system to aid domestic violence victims
     
  • Cardiovascular Business: AI helps cardiologists deliver personalized healthcare—but there is still plenty of work to do