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Comment by NovemberWhiskey | Hacker News Reader

Any time I see the output of a statistical model like "estimated length of stay" that gives a number like "16.6 days" without also saying something like "with a 95% confidence interval of -5.1 / +20.9 days", I get pretty confident the goal is not actually to help decision-making.

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It's to launder guilt. I'm not denying the benefit. It's "The Algorithm" (TM). Nobody can change "The Algorithm" (TM), we'll just have to live with it. Sorry, but you're on your own.

Or, as the TV show Little Britain put it: "Computer says no"

It's wild how rigid society has become since computers became dominant. I read an article once that discussed how people who emigrated to the US prior to computers were generally unconcerned with making sure their name was romanized the same on every document, as all the humans involved were smart enough to understand "this is the same person even though the name is spelled slightly differently". Once computers took over, those people have had to "unify" their name across various documents, otherwise the computers do a literal comparison and reject it since clearly, the names are not the "same".

Computers are math machines. Everything has a procedure, an answer, a quantity, a yes or no. When people are determined to put computers and AI in everything, everything will naturally reach a computer-like end state; the world becomes a set of algorithms: no deviation, spontaneity, choice. How is that "wild"?

Separate thing I've notices since having a chronic health issue for 20 years is the medical system uses 'patient empowerment' to shield themselves from any responsibility. At the same time patients have little actual power beyond whining.

Exactly, this just gives the private insurers deniability when they drop coverage for someone who still needs care. They can't be held liable for someone's sickness or death, because they were just following the algorithm.

The flip side, I suspect, is that any insurance company employee who overrides the algorithm is putting their career in jeopardy. So despite what the company says, the algorithm really is making all the decisions.

The goal is to provide "evidence" for the decision that has already been made. She was "recovered" and no longer "needed" care. Now, generate supporting evidence for that conclusion.

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