Lab Medicine Pathology Grand Rounds presentation for Thursday Dec. 13th, 2012 in ECHA 2-420 at noon on Technology and the Future of Medicine: The Course and the Reality.

1. A year and a half after the conception of the Technology and Future of Medicine Course
(LABMP 590) it is useful to reflect on its progress and evolution in the context of the
coming revolution in medicine and medical education.

2. The technological singularity occurs as artificial
intelligences surpass human beings as the smartest
and most capable life forms on the Earth.
Technological development is taken over by the
machines, who can think, act and communicate so
quickly that normal humans cannot even comprehend
what is going on. The machines enter into a "runaway
reaction" of self-improvement cycles, with each new
generation of A.I.s appearing faster and faster. From
this point onwards, technological advancement is
explosive, under the control of the machines, and
thus cannot be accurately predicted (hence the term
"Singularity"). – Ray Kurzweil

4. Course conceptualized in
March 2011, tested with
focus groups in
May for its suitability as a
course for both
undergraduate and
graduate students.

5.  Ten minute introduction
 Fifty minute lecture
 Twenty minute discussion
 In the course we talk about
machines replacing many of the
functions of human beings. This
picture was taken by a machine
without human intervention, as
were many of the best still
images from the course. The
video camera is constantly
comparing the scene to
algorithms and takes still
pictures when the requirements
of the interesting picture
algorithm are satisfied.

6. Heather Graves, from Department
of English and Film Studies, in
Faculty of Arts.

8.  CCIS is on the other
side of campus for
many of us, but it is
good exercise to go
there and one often
has excellent company
making the trip!

9.  We endeavor to shoot broadcast quality video of
each lecture and discussion.
 Many previous lectures on YouTube.com at
/user/KimSolez and /user/avoca99 . Students
taking course for grade are asked to critique one
past lecture, and suggest improvements.
 Students taking course for grade write one
3,000 word paper and give 20 min. presentation
on same subject.
 No required reading. Suggested reading list
distributed by Email, is constantly updated.

10.  The technological Singularity.
 Existential risks, AI, genomics, and nanotech.
 Ways to optimize a positive outcome for
humanity in the co -evolution of humans and
machines.
 The influence of these considerations on
medicine of the future .
 Dean of Science and Dean of Arts speaking,
many prominent people internationally. Most
lectures not very “medical”. Easily understood.
 Balanced view provided by incorporating both
technology skeptics and technology advocates .

15.  The challenge of friendly AI becomes just a small part of
a much larger challenge of creating a friendly world in
which humans still have lives of significance, human
history is retained and extended.
 We all need to be engaged in ensuring a positive
outcome for humanity. The future is ours
to shape. We need to get busy doing that!
 Part of the imagined future could be
one where all disease was eliminated
but life was intolerable. Another where the only diseases
are from bioterrorism.

16.  All natural disease may be eliminated, leaving
only man-made diseases. But that may leave
as much for physicians to do as there is today!
 Challenging responses to bioterrorism and
stem cell technologies.
 Focus of medicine no longer disease but
enhancement, which will extend beyond the
physical to the moral.
 Social responsibility an important aspect of
medicine and one of the focuses of the course.

17.  “It is the curse of humanity that it learns to tolerate even
the most horrible situations by habituation. Physicians
are the natural attorneys of the poor, and the social
problems should largely be solved by them.”
-Rudolf Virchow

18. • How I came to create this course
• How it relates to Future of Medicine

19. 1) In 1994 created websites for CAP, ISN, and RPS and NEPHROL
Email discussion group
2) In 1997 created NKF CyberNephrology and ISN Informatics
Commission
3) In 1999 new Lab Medicine Pathology chair Victor Tron
suggested I broaden focus to CyberMedicine, and encouraged
medical humanitarian ventures

20. 1) In 2007 joined medical advisory board of new medical school in
Nepal devoted to rural health, Patan Academy of Health
Sciences (“PAHS”).
2) Now direct this project at UofA, eighteen UofA faculty are now
involved in the PAHS project in Nepal.

21. 1) Tech musings from the Hinterland. Virtual microscopy one topic.
2) The first video was from Nepal.

23.  It became apparent that the best way to make this
happen was for me to create a novel course of
new design. Thus, this course.
 Presently, we know of no similar courses being
presented elsewhere.
 Eventually it is our hope that hundreds of similar
courses will begin appearing at Universities all
over the world.

29.  Regulatory oversight that is completely focused
on compliance. Discourages risk-taking and
innovation.
 Health care doesn't have the same financial
reward system. Facebook isn't about to pay $1
billion for the latest hot-ticket item in imaging
and informatics.
 Security always trumps information sharing, and
so better, faster linkages are constrained
because of security concerns, most of which are
bogus.

30. HealthAppsNotUsed