When it comes to improving the health of the world, many eyes are looking at recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) with hope. Some even believe that AI will solve every problem in health care. Our homes will become smart enough to know that we haven’t been active enough and will instruct the fridge to suggest healthy recipes personalized to your nutritional goals. Your self-driving car will track your health during your commute to the office and schedule doctor’s appointments. You will grow old surrounded by robot companions who can take care of your every need, never feeling tired, never complaining but anticipating your needs in advance. Technology companies, large and small, are looking at health care and wondering, “How can my algorithm make this better, cheaper and faster?”

Humans are inconsistent and make mistakes and don’t always smile at you if they are having a bad day. Children born today, growing up with digital assistants, maybe the first generation who believes that intelligent machines can "care" just as well, if not better than any human doctor or nurse.

Health care is about humans, it involves listening, empathy and compassion. Machines can’t care for us; only humans can. However, what if some patients prefer interacting with a machine rather than a human? Should we be holding back progress because we don’t understand this?

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx