It has become impossible to tell managers mesmerised by artificial intelligence that the tools are not, in fact, helpful. So employees just play along with the fiction to keep their jobs, writes our tech columnist
I don’t know what your problem is. My friends are indeed real people. They are not cured, I said they have diagnoses.
One of them has had diffuse but severe symptoms for at least the last 15 years. Bloating, stomach pain, vomiting, circulation problems, etc. She had nights of vomiting and diarrhea where she said she thought was dying, that’s how miseable she felt. She went to many doctors, they ran many checks, and she only ever got the same result: there is nothing to be found, it must be psychosomatic, probably stress. This result, by the way, is a very common one when you’re a woman and you’re seeking medical attention, even for serious problems. Last year, she discussed all her symptoms and observations (like foods and acitivities that seemed to make the symptoms worse) with ChatGPT and it suggested it might be MCAS. She got medication that is supposed to help with MCAS and she is feeling so much better now. She is not cured, but she can have a normal life again. I can tell she has about twice as much energy as she used to have. That is a huge life quality improvment.
The other friend has had bad hearing on one ear for almost all his life. Doctors never found a cause, all they said was “well we could cut it open and take a look if you want” which didn’t sound so great so he never had it checked further. After discussion with some LLM chat bot, he went to another doctor and insisted on getting a CT scan. Turns out he has a (benign) tumor in his ear that’s been growing ever since he was a child. It will be surgically removed soon because it won’t stop growing on its own and might even grow into the brain one day. If he’s lucky, his ear might even be much better afterwards (unless too much of the structure is already destroyed by the tumor growing).
Look, I know it sounds kinda stupid, but I promise you, these are real stories. I know that if you do it wrong, discussing health issues with an LLM can absolutely backfire and be very dangerous. But if you can trust your own brain and don’t switch it off just because you’re using an AI, it can actually be really helpful.
I don’t know what your problem is. My friends are indeed real people. They are not cured, I said they have diagnoses.
One of them has had diffuse but severe symptoms for at least the last 15 years. Bloating, stomach pain, vomiting, circulation problems, etc. She had nights of vomiting and diarrhea where she said she thought was dying, that’s how miseable she felt. She went to many doctors, they ran many checks, and she only ever got the same result: there is nothing to be found, it must be psychosomatic, probably stress. This result, by the way, is a very common one when you’re a woman and you’re seeking medical attention, even for serious problems. Last year, she discussed all her symptoms and observations (like foods and acitivities that seemed to make the symptoms worse) with ChatGPT and it suggested it might be MCAS. She got medication that is supposed to help with MCAS and she is feeling so much better now. She is not cured, but she can have a normal life again. I can tell she has about twice as much energy as she used to have. That is a huge life quality improvment.
The other friend has had bad hearing on one ear for almost all his life. Doctors never found a cause, all they said was “well we could cut it open and take a look if you want” which didn’t sound so great so he never had it checked further. After discussion with some LLM chat bot, he went to another doctor and insisted on getting a CT scan. Turns out he has a (benign) tumor in his ear that’s been growing ever since he was a child. It will be surgically removed soon because it won’t stop growing on its own and might even grow into the brain one day. If he’s lucky, his ear might even be much better afterwards (unless too much of the structure is already destroyed by the tumor growing).
Look, I know it sounds kinda stupid, but I promise you, these are real stories. I know that if you do it wrong, discussing health issues with an LLM can absolutely backfire and be very dangerous. But if you can trust your own brain and don’t switch it off just because you’re using an AI, it can actually be really helpful.