I think therefore I am? – Rise of the Machines

Photo by Alec Favale on Unsplash

I haven’t written for a while. Is it even worth writing any more now that the large language models are improving their writing? Their use of grammar and sentence structure is improving and their prose is becoming more prosaic. How can I compete with the supercomputers? I’d still like to think that us humans can still tap into things that the machines don’t have, at least for now. I write to teach, I write to think. I write to help me sort out ideas in my own head and heart. That’s not something that AI can do, for now.

Lately at work we have been exploring the use of generative AI in many aspects of our operation. If it can help us to do our jobs better and can free up some time for real face to face patient care, why not? Time has become precious when we all do not have enough of it. If we can free up time by delegating some of the less interesting tasks to the machine, isn’t this a good thing?

Take education for instance. 12 years ago we had explored delivering education via online modules. At the time we were quoted $50000 to develop four 15 minute e-learning modules. Way out of our price range at the time. Now we can create our own e-learning modules for a fraction of the cost. Some clever folks at work have been developing OLLI our Organisational Linked Learning Interface where we have available online modules. We’ve even started a blog on the site and I have written an article which you can read here.

While you have a look at the site and have a read of the blog post, I’ll keep on writing.

Bedside Lessons – 19. Let him cry

Photo by Tom Pumford on Unsplash

He had asked to talk to us away from the hospice room where his wife was sleeping.

The trainee specialist and I led him to the patient lounge room down the corridor.

We all sat down.

We talked about how his wife was dying, how he was actively supporting everyone else in their life. Especially their three teenaged children, who were barely coping with the pending loss of their mother. He said that he had to be strong, that he would get them all through it…

The floodgate of his face broke, he curled up in pain, and the torrent of tears was released. The trainee reached for the box of tissues, and for his shoulder, and started to speak.

I subtly raised my hand to stop her from saying anything.

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