Alexia Tawes
Writing for the Sciences
English 21003
Position Paper
10/14/2020
The Position Report revolves around the knowledge that science is ever-adapting and ever-changing. Things are constantly changing as people learn more, and so readers must always keep aware. The goal is to discuss the opposing positions on a science topic or research issue.
Technology is always changings and upgrading. The mass say that technology will replace healthcare and its providers, including nurses and physicians. They figure technology will take the place of many more jobs than it creates and at a much faster pace than in previous centuries. “Jobs will be lost at a greater pace than ever before, a rate that might pass the threshold of our ability as a nation to provide a reasonable level of employment and livable wage for all persons.” (Brigette Hyacinth, 2020) Businesses are looking for every method to reduce cost and/or human error so they can maintain a competitive edge in the global marketplace. The Global Marketplace is a competition and they will do what they have to, to survive. Outsource or automate, whatever will reduce costs and eliminate human error.
One of the ways to reduce cost and eliminate human error is to implement Artificial Intelligence. Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions. The term may also be applied to any machine that exhibits traits associated with a human mind such as learning and problem-solving (Frankenfield, 2020). Artificial intelligence is causing some amazing breakthroughs on the medical scene, a new, smarter age of healthcare. It creates an entirely new system that predicts disease and delivers personalised health and wellness services to entire populations, but it will not replace it or displace it. The purpose isn’t to replace physicians or healthcare professionals, but give them a boost by incorporating better decision-making tools. This way they will be able to see more patients and come to decisions faster. Artificial Intelligence will integrate with the human element of the healthcare service rendered, and not replace it altogether. These developments will allow doctors to focus more on the human aspects of patient care, such as empathy instead of the only science aspect.
The reason why Artificial Intelligence will integrate with the human element of the healthcare services, and not replace it is because a part of working in healthcare is building trust: listening to the other person, paying attention to their needs, expressing the feeling of compassion and responding in a manner that the other person knows they were understood. A robot cannot do that. No one would trust a robot or a smart algorithm with a life-altering decision or even with a decision whether or not to take painkillers, for that matter because it poses too much risk. We might never be able to imagine healthcare without human understanding and sensitivity. We will need doctors holding our hands while telling us about a life-changing or life-threatening diagnosis, their guide through therapy and their overall support. An algorithm cannot replace that. Ever.
Another position a robot cannot fulfill is the monotonous task a physician completes daily. Healthcare workers have plenty of repetitive tasks to complete every single day. Robots do not yet have the mental capacity to perform compound tasks like negotiation or persuading. Also, they are not as skillful in generating new ideas as they are at solving problems. Meaning, jobs requiring creativity, emotional intelligence and social skills are unlikely to be filled by robots any time soon. It’s likely our managers, nurses, artists, engineers and entrepreneurs will remain human.
Artificial Intelligence will create more jobs, though. There will always be a need for skilled human labor and expertise when we deal with machines. Robots will have glitches, need updates, servicing and may require new parts if an existing part goes bad. As we rely more and more on industrialized systems and automation, we will require more people with technical skills to maintain, replace, update and fix these systems and hardware, such as engineers.
“The AI and supercomputers may speed up the processing, calculation, analytical aspects and business productivity and surpass humans and accuracy in certain specialized fields but will not be able to surpass human intelligence completely in all aspects of life” (Khan, Tawnier, & Khalid, 2020)
Artificial Intelligence will not replace human labor in healthcare. Instead, it will integrate with the human element of the healthcare service and create more jobs.
Reference
Brigette Hyacinth – Mba-caribbean.orgLeadership and Management Author & Keynote Speaker Founder – MBA Caribbean OrganisationTrinidad and Tobago. (2020, October 11). Will robots take your job in healthcare? Retrieved October 14, 2020, from https://healthmanagement.org/c/healthmanagement/issuearticle/will-robots-take-your-job-in-healthcare
Frankenfield, J. (2020, August 29). How Artificial Intelligence Works. Retrieved October 14, 2020, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/artificial-intelligence-ai.asp
Khan, S., Tawnier, S., & Khalid, S. (2020, January 2). Artificial Intelligence Surpassing Human Intelligence: Factual or Hoax. Retrieved October 14, 2020, from https://academic.oup.com/comjnl/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/comjnl/bxz156/5688168?redirectedFrom=fulltext
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