Not so long ago, Elon Musk claimed that human had to become cyborgs to stay relevant in the digitally and technologically evolving society. His argument is only one of the many that warn humanity about the dangers of machines controlling the world. Even Stephen Hawking warns about computers that could control humans. But technology and artificial intelligence don’t have to be synonymous with the end of the world as we know it if people learn to magnify the positive impacts of software intelligence and control it. For the time being, software tools are not yet a threat to human civilization. In fact, they are still at a level where they can change people’s lives for the better.
Saving precious time for your health
You may not think about it, but for healthcare professionals, the implementation of a practice management software solution is the best way of saving precious time in their everyday activities. For a start, the tool can ensure that patients get a reminder for their appointments and recurring checks. The advantage may not be obvious but sometimes missing a check-up appointment may make all the difference between life and death. Additionally, automating administrative tasks allows doctors to have more time to spend with their patients. When it comes to your health, saving time is the essence of saving lives.
Giving eyes to those who can’t see
The development of 3D software and printing solutions has enabled doctors to now help blind patients experience visual scans and ultrasound results more intimately. A Brazilian doctor, for instance, is using 3D printing to produce a 1-to-1 copy of the baby’s ultrasound to help blind parents “see” their baby. The lifelike model of the baby is used as a way to enhance the experience of blind pregnant women and to help them feel the changes in the foetus as it grows.
At the heart of the AI operations
Robotic surgical systems have been part of general operations since the early 2000s. They are renowned for minimizing traumas and providing greater accuracy than it is possible to get by hand. However, when Google partnered with a healthcare company to develop surgical robots, the idea was to develop AI software solutions to a level where the robots could perform standard operations safely. While science is not quite there yet; the idea is to complement the human ability of surgeons with AI intelligence to highlight traumas and structures that are difficult to see by eye.
Saved by Siri
We often imagine the house of the future as a place where software systems enable devices to respond to speech. You could enter a room and ask for the TV to be turned on and a fresh cup of coffee to be brewed. But speech-enabled systems are already part of everyday life. Early this year, a four-year-old boy saved his mother by asking Siri to call the emergency services. The swift actions of the young boy demonstrate the importance of teaching children how to react in case of an emergency. Who thought that Siri could save lives?
There’s no denying that software solutions have the potential to make your life easier and also safer at many levels. All we need now is to control the autonomy of our AI software systems so that the human cyborg remains a thing of sci-fi stories.
