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Layoffs at Watson Health Reveal IBM's Problem with AI (ieee.org)
Last month IBM, which has staked much of its future on its flagship AI Watson, announced a major round of layoffs in the division. Now the engineers who had been let go allege that the move shows that difficulties IBM is facing in turning its AI into a profitable business. A report on IEEE Spectrum says: "IBM Watson has great AI," one engineer said, who asked to remain anonymous so he wouldn't lose his severance package. "It's like having great shoes, but not knowing how to walk -- they have to figure out how to use it." The layoffs at the end of May cut a swath through the Watson Health division. According to anonymous accounts submitted to the site Watching IBM, the cuts primarily affecting workers from three acquired companies: Phytel, Explorys, and Truven. These companies, acquired between 2015 and 2016, brought with them hefty troves of healthcare data, proprietary analytics systems to mine the data for insights, as well as their customers. The report adds: Two laid-off engineers from Phytel spoke to IEEE Spectrum in depth. They allege that IBM's leadership mismanaged their company since its acquisition, and say the problems at Phytel are emblematic of IBM's struggles to make Watson profitable. Several other Phytel employees corroborated the basic facts of their accounts. Both engineers worked for Phytel since before its 2015 acquisition, and say they were excited to become part of Big Blue. "Everyone expected that we would join IBM and be propelled by their support, that it would be the beginning of great things," says the first engineer.
>> (company) acquires companies, fires acquired employees
This is news because? This is how the world works.
All the marketing hype about "AI" didn't translate into sales. Here is how to tell a technology doesn't work: Someone comes out with a technology that does X (like plays Chess) and says yeah, but it could be applied to do useful things Y and Z. The question needs to be asked: then why not demonstrate it doing useful things Y and Z? The reason is because it doesn't work. It is really good at X, but they don't know exactly how it can do Y and Z. Meanwhile, billions have been spent on marketing campaigns. Typically taxpayer money is thrown in to support the farce.
IBM has a far better record of destroying anything it partners with or acquires.
For the old timers think of Timeplex, Taligent, Pink, OS/2.
About the only things they seem to have going these days are large consulting contracts that are acquired through political connections not technical merit, and legacy Z system support which is still to expensive to migrate.
Because these guys are passionate about what they were doing and they want to share how they feel their hard work is getting screwed up.
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
"IBM Watson has great AI," one engineer said, who asked to remain anonymous so he wouldn't lose his severance package. "It's like having great shoes, but not knowing how to walk -- they have to figure out how to use it." The layoffs at the end of May cut a swath through the Watson Health division.
The path to money is replacing doctors. Duh. Partner with insurance companies that PAY YOU to make doctor Watson the initial contact for their customers.
You call in, or log in and give it your symptoms, answering it's questions (Maybe sending it photos). It gives you a diagnosis, advice, a prescription, and/or refers you to a specialist or a bloodwork lab.
That means giving Watson the authority of a real doctor, that can actually DO things like diagnos and write prescriptions. And that means making it liable for fucking up. If Watson is good, then that should be viable.
This makes money for Watson and that dev team, they get paid by the insurance companies. This makes money for the insurance companies as the rate for one computer on the Internet is hella cheaper than all those general practioners. This is a general improvement for the customers as their doctor is on tap 24/7 and doesn't have a hideous co-pay.
This screws over doctors who will undoubtedly become neoluddites or further specialize.
This screws over Insurance companies that don't actually want you to make use of them. They make money off of healthy people that carry the policy just out of fear. If you actually USE the insurance, the insurance company loses money. To that extent, health insurance companies anything that makes the health-care system simpiler and easier to use. And thus we see why IBM can't appear to sell Watson.
"Decades ago it was obvious that many doctors could be replaced, since a nurse using a paper checklist could diagnose with the same accuracy"
I'm not aware of any studies of substance that substantiate such a bold claim. I am aware of some weak studies looking at NPs managing chronic diseases that had already been diagnosed. Perhaps that is what you are referring to?
"This is exactly what was done in many countries, with nurses or PAs handling the routine cases"
Really? Most health care providers in Europe and Australia have never heard of or worked with a PA or NP. Further, I've never heard of their nurses making diagnosis or managing diseases.
I work for an international health care company so I have some idea of the lay of the land here. If you have some sources to back this up, I'm interested. Otherwise, I'm fairly sure this is just BS.
It's called revenge. If you were doublecrossed by an organization, then it's not unlikely that you would want to dish dirt on them *and* take their money.