Said and heard this week in and around healthcare

10 notable quotes about AI from the past 5 days

POINT: ‘[AI] is not perfect, but people are picking up dimes of productivity savings.’

—AI “bull” George Lee, co-head of Goldman Sachs Global Institute. (Source: “Will A.I. Be a Bust? A Wall Street Skeptic Rings the Alarm.” The New York Times, Sep. 23)

COUNTERPOINT: ‘Overbuilding things the world doesn’t have use for, or is not ready for, typically ends badly.’

—AI “bear” Jim Covello, head of stock research at Goldman Sachs. (Source: “Will A.I. Be a Bust? A Wall Street Skeptic Rings the Alarm.” The New York Times, Sep. 23) 

‘[T]echnology is increasingly core to our experience of healthcare. But it’s also true that when we leave technology to its own devices, we run the risk of technology really being an orchestra without a conductor.’

—Chris DeRienzo, MD, chief physician executive of the American Hospital Association. (Source: “AI Is the Only Unchecked US ‘Sector of Consequence,’ Says Healthcare Exec.” Newsweek, Sep. 26) 

‘AI technologies are quickly becoming the beating heart of modern medicine. The physicians, clinicians and medical specialists of tomorrow must learn to be adept users and knowledgeable about how AI works and what it can contribute.’

—Sharief Taraman, MD, chief executive officer of Cognoa. (Source: “AI in the Syllabus: Preparing Tomorrow’s Doctors Today.” Forbes, Sep. 24)

‘[T]he use of AI in the healthcare setting is exacerbating long-standing issues that healthcare professionals have bargained over, including staffing ratios and discretion in patient care.’

—Analysts Patrick Oakford, Josh Bivens and Celine McNicholas. (Source: “Federal AI legislation: An evaluation of existing proposals and a road map forward.” Economic Policy Institute, Sep. 25)

‘For as much good as AI can bring to healthcare organizations, there’s also the bad. It will and should be a long time before any provider/clinician accepts the output of an AI application at face value.’

—MJ Stojak, managing director of the data, analytics and AI practice for Pivot Point Consulting. (Source: “The Good, the Bad, the Ugly When Leveraging AI in Healthcare.” HIT Consultant, Sep. 25) 

‘AI applications in medical writing within pharmaceutical and drug production sectors promise increased efficiency, accuracy and innovation, contributing to the development of safer and more effective therapies for various medical conditions.’

—Research and Markets. (Source: “Artificial Intelligence in Medical Writing Market Research Report 2024.” News release, Sep. 25) 

‘Physicians and healthcare professionals often imagine AI as a futuristic, benevolent, childlike humanoid with a unique ability to love, as depicted in the 2001 Steven Spielberg movie A.I. Artificial Intelligence. However, the United States Department of Justice disagrees.’

—Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD, chief executive, chief psychiatrist and internist at Blue Mountain Psychiatry in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. (Source: “The use of artificial intelligence in the enforcement of healthcare regulations.” KevinMD, Sep. 24) 

‘AI companies offering products used in high-risk settings owe it to the public and to their clients to be transparent about their risks, limitations and appropriate use. Hospitals and other healthcare entities must consider whether AI products are appropriate and train their employees accordingly.’

—Ken Paxton, attorney general of Texas. (Source: “Texas attorney general, generative AI company settle over accuracy allegations.” Healthcare Dive, Sep. 23) 

‘Restructuring around a core for-profit entity formalizes what outsiders have known for some time: OpenAI is seeking to profit in an industry that has received an enormous influx of investment in the last few years. [So much for] OpenAI’s founding emphasis on safety, transparency and an aim of not concentrating power.’

—Sarah Kreps, director of Cornell University’s Tech Policy Institute. (Source: “OpenAI as we knew it is dead.” Vox, Sep. 26)