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Category: health – Page 197

What the data says about Americans’ views of artificial intelligence

Pew Research Center surveys show that Americans are increasingly cautious about the growing role of AI in their lives generally. Today, 52% of Americans are more concerned than excited about AI in daily life, compared with just 10% who say they are more excited than concerned; 36% feel a mix of excitement and concern.

Despite these cautious overall views, Americans see some specific uses of AI positively, and attitudes depend a great deal on the context of how and why AI is being used.

This post summarizes what we know so far about how Americans view AI in everyday life, the workplace, and health and medicine.

Swallowable device tracking vital signs inside the body in human trial

A new device that can be swallowed like a pill can track vital signs such as breathing and heart rate from inside the body.

Left: Ben Pless Right: Traverso Lab at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

“This device can help diagnose and monitor many health conditions without requiring hospital visits, which can make healthcare more accessible and supportive for patients,” says Giovanni Traverso, the lead author of the study, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT and a gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Sam Altman Responds to His Firing From OpenAI

Here’s one we weren’t expecting: the creator of ChatGPT, OpenAI, has unexpectedly announced that it’s ditching its charismatic CEO Sam Altman, effective immediately.

“Mr. Altman’s departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities,” the company wrote in the surprise announcement. “The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.”

The statement is strikingly vague about exactly what went off the rails with Altman, who cofounded the company alongside the also since-departed Elon Musk back in 2015.

WTF is going on at OpenAI? We have theories

In perhaps the most unexpected tech news of the year, billionaire and AI evangelist Sam Altman has been ejected from his CEO role at OpenAI by the company’s board after an apparent vote of no confidence. Its exact wording in a release issued this afternoon: Altman’s “departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities.”

What the hell is happening at the most hyped company in the world?! Here are some totally speculative theories that occurred to us and others around the web.

Sierra Space lays off hundreds in push toward first Dream Chaser spaceplane launch

Sierra Space, one of the sector’s most valuable private companies, laid off several hundred employees and contractors this week, CNBC has learned.

A Sierra Space spokesperson confirmed the company let go of about 165 employees on Thursday, but declined to specify the number of contractors affected. Former Sierra Space employees told CNBC that the layoffs included a significant number of contractors, with the cuts including hundreds of personnel in total.

The laid-off employees received two weeks of paid non-working notice, plus four weeks of severance pay and health care benefits through the end of the year. Sierra Space had about 2,000 employees before reducing its workforce, the company spokesperson said.

Wearable device harnesses body sounds for continuous health monitoring

The devices demonstrated clinical-grade accuracy and introduced novel functionalities not seen in prior research or clinical care.

Northwestern University.

Furthering the scope of such examinations, a team of researchers at Northwestern University (NU) is now presenting novel wearable technology much more advanced than the intermittent measures made during periodic medical examinations.

Forward Health launches CarePods, a self-contained, AI-powered doctor’s office

Get a blood test, check blood pressure, and swab for aliments — all without a doctor or nurse.

Adrian Aoun, CEO and co-founder of Forward Health, aims to scale healthcare.

Adrian Aoun, CEO and co-founder of Forward Health, aims to scale healthcare. It started in 2017 with the launch of tech-forward doctor’s offices that eschewed traditional medical staffing for technology solutions like body scanners, smart sensors, and algorithms that can diagnose ailments. Now, in 2023, he’s still on the same mission and rolled up all the learnings and technology found in the doctor’s office into a self-contained, standalone medical station called the CarePod.

The CarePod pitch is easy to understand. Why spend hours in a doctor’s office to get your throat swabbed for strep throat? Walk into the CarePod, soon to be located in malls and office buildings, and answer some questions to determine the appropriate test. CarePod users can get their blood drawn, throat swabbed, and blood pressure read – most of the frontline clinical work performed in primary care offices, all without a doctor or nurse. Custom AI powers the diagnosis, and behind the scenes, doctors write the appropriate prescription, which is available nearly immediately.

The cost? It’s $99 a month, which gives users access to all of the CarePods tests and features. As Aoun told me, this solution enables healthcare to scale like never before.

YouTube Creators Will Be Forced To Disclose AI Content

YouTube will soon make users add a disclaimer when they post artificial intelligence-generated or manipulated videos.

In a company blog post, the video giant outlined its forthcoming rule change that will not only require a warning label, but will display disclaimers larger for certain types of “sensitive” content such as elections and public health crises.

As Bloomberg reports, this change at the Alphabet-owned company comes after a September announcement that election ads across the firm’s portfolio will require “prominent” disclosures if manipulated or generated by AI — a rule that’s slated to begin mid-November, the outlet previously reported.

Glasses use sonar, AI to interpret upper body poses in 3D

Throughout history, sonar’s distinctive “ping” has been used to map oceans, spot enemy submarines and find sunken ships. Today, a variation of that technology – in miniature form, developed by Cornell researchers – is proving a game-changer in wearable body-sensing technology.

PoseSonic is the latest sonar-equipped wearable from Cornell’s Smart Computer Interfaces for Future Interactions (SciFi) lab. It consists of off-the-shelf eyeglasses outfitted with micro sonar that can track the wearer’s upper body movements in 3D through a combination of inaudible soundwaves and artificial intelligence (AI).

With further development, PoseSonic could enhance augmented reality and virtual reality, and track detailed physical and behavioral data for personal health, the researchers said.

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