Tag Archives: technology

Medical Access Denied

To insure or not to insure?

For those with health insurance, the final three months of the annual calendar year may ignite a sense of urgency to schedule appointments and utilize benefits, such as a free eye exam or 100% coverage after a deductible is paid.  In the case of two now-deceased elderly insurance holders, however, conflict may arise if owed benefits are not honored.  According to a recent lawsuit filed against UnitedHealth, elderly patients were not provided the care afforded under their Medicare Advantage Plans.  An artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm is the alleged reason for the denial.

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An Effort to “Like”

Too much social media?

For years, social media has been scrutinized and criticized as one of the driving forces behind youth bullying, self-esteem issues, and poor mental health.  Now, a federal lawsuit and subsequent state lawsuits have targeted Meta, the corporate owner of Facebook and Instagram, for employing dangerous tactics and features for drawing teenagers and children into its social media apps.  The lawsuits suggest that the specific methods of encouraging continued use have contributed to a deterioration of mental health in its users. 

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Fight for Freedom

Technological impacts

In Texas, a newly introduced TikTok ban and its apparent subsequent restraints on the ability to exercise full academic freedom is the subject of a recent lawsuit filed by the group, The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.  Academic freedom not only affords the opportunity for professors to conduct research and teach an array of topics and ideas without the fear of censure, but also allows students to engage in thought processes and debates without the anxiety of potential retaliation.  The lawsuit names Texas Governor Greg Abbott and additional state entities and public university personnel as defendants. 

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A Striking Resemblance

Hollywood horror

The fear that artificial intelligence (AI) may compromise or replace individual creative expression has sparked an ongoing strike on behalf of the Writer’s Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).  The rise in AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT, function to manipulate and reconfigure human writing.  In an industry that relies on the development of unique ideas, fresh content, and effective acting for movies and television, such an AI tool presents a possible or likely threat to future earned projects and potential income. 

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Seas the Opportunity

Devastation at sea

A new anniversary may be tagged to the site where 111 years ago, the Titanic sank to the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean almost 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland.  On Father’s Day this year, a submersible named the Titan, manned by the company OceanGate, had deployed to the depths of the sea in hopes that its passengers would view the wreckage of the Titanic.  Four days after the Titan began its expedition, sections of the vessel were located on the ocean floor.  Due to what the US Coast Guard has identified as a catastrophic implosion of the pressure chamber, the passengers perished. 

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