Prof. Samuel Warns AI Needs to Balance Utility and Privacy in Opioid Overdose Tracking

September 7, 2022

The Daily Beast asks “Are the AI models ready for Primetime?”. In “How Bots Can Prevent Opioid Overdoses Before They Happen,” Maddie Bender looks at one of the leading causes of death in America and how AI can help through a program called “Hotspotting the Opioid Crisis.” Prof. Jim Samuel weighs in on the pros and cons of using AI to track opioid users for targeted interventions to help prevent overdoses.

“We don’t want to get into a situation where we are tracking and monitoring people and invading their privacy. At the same time, we want to find that right balance whereby we are able to help the neediest segments.”

“Even if you misclassify just one person, I think that would be a huge violation of that person’s rights.”

Daily Beast 9/7/22

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