Infuse Issue 8 June 2019

Will robots take our jobs? by Kate Agnew, Marketing and Communications Director, Dietitian Connection The short answer is NO but they’ll change our jobs and increase our relevance. I’ve watched many movies about the impending doom from robots becoming ‘smarter than people’ and the threat of Artificial Intelligence (AI) but nothing in the context of dietetics. Even though we all know it’s coming. William Carter, who delivered a presentation at FNCE 2018, is kind of a genius and really changed my mind about AI. He did a great job of taking a technical and complex field and relating it to the future of healthcare. He’s the Deputy Director of the Technology Policy Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in the US. So, quick recap… When you hear the term AI – what do you think of? Apparently the number one association is The Terminator. It’s actually not just one thing. AI is a field of multiple technologies and systems. These systems enable machines to sense, comprehend, act and learn. Okay this sounds pretty Terminator- ish. BUT it’s not all doom and gloom – promise! Read on… We’re already using some of these AI systems, particular the popular one called Machine Learning (ML); completing a google search or wearing your fitbit / smart watch is an example. The thing is, there is still A LOT of work that needs to be done to get these technologies right. AND health professionals will be a large part of making this happen safely and appropriately [And no, you don’t need to know how to “code” to play a part]. © Dietitian Connection 26 Infuse | June 2019

Infuse Issue 8 June 2019 | Page 26