Maddie Donnelly

These are some great ways that AI can be used to help address climate change. I read that the first month of the COVID lock down was the cleanest the sky had been in decades across the world. I do not know the numbers, but it could have added up to a year on the timeline. I also wonder if AI can be used to find sites that violate climate laws. If it can trace pollutants back to a factory then it would be easier to hold companies accountable.

I never thought about the impact on snow days. This pandemic could be the worst thing to happen to one of the most magical days as a child. I think there will be a big push for improved technology across all industries after COVID, but your research makes me realize that the medical field may see the biggest change. While hospitals have been working to improve technology usage, the average doctor’s office has not changed much in the past 20 years. This could be the push they need to start modernizing their systems.

Sean – Agreed! Snow days were the best. I can’t imagine having to do my schoolwork online when I could be outside sledding in the backyard or at the park.

I took in an interest in your post Maddie because I am a full time patient basically. I have used the telehealth method a few times during the pandemic and it was helpful because I was definitely scared and hesitant with going into the offices. It also saved me time and money because I didn’t have to travel nor spend time waiting for the actual professional to speak with us which usually takes FOREVER. I believe that telehealth services will tremendously advance the healthcare industry post covid. It makes the operations easier for Doctors as well because not every patient has to be there. I did not think about the cybersecurity aspect though and I think that is very important! Patient’s data is very private and important. It should be secure and there needs to be protection put in place for this. While I know going in to the doctor’s office is still so critical for me and other patients, I do agree that these telehealth medical services will further the digitization of the healthcare/medical sector and make it easier for all parties involved.

Even before COVID, health care industries were competing to differentiate themselves from each other such as having a dermatologist or specialist on call. Seeing how COVID pretty much synced everyone into a virtual aspect, it’ll be interesting to see the rapid growth in technology in this industry. Offices will cut down on their rent space from seeing that multiple employees can work virtually and main professionally. Telehealth for a senior citizen would also be one of my concerns with them not being tech-savvy. Doctors or pharmacists would have to use a portal to generate a daily call list to see how patients adhere to medications.

It is really interesting how COVID-19 has affected the health care industry. There are obviously some things you need to go into the doctors office for, but improvements to telehealth services do seem like the safest way for providers to interact with highly contagious patients (whose symptoms are not life threatening of course). If you have mild symptoms of COVID, the likely only health care worker you interact with these days in person is whoever is giving you your test (and even then they are dressed head to toe in PPE). I wonder how this is going to change the way doctors appointments will go in the future. I don’t know how often sicknesses spread from patients normally, but I feel like it would be a lot safer for doctors and nurses overall if those who are sick only interact with them in person when necessary.

I do think you are right when you mention that there are problems we will have to overcome with tele-health. For one, a lot of people in low-income neighborhoods don’t have the same level of access to the Internet and technology as people with more money and resources. The second problem is definitely cybersecurity – health care information is highly sensitive and needs to be protected. However, overall I do think the benefits outweigh the challenges and we will be moving to a future where telehealth is the norm.

Hi Maddie! Certainly data privacy has been a big concern for consumers – the vast majority of applications we use on a daily-basis have access to much of our personal information. Marketers have access to so much information nowadays that there is greater opportunity for target outreach, which is great! But at the same time, it is equally concerning on how this data is being applied.
I know for myself I barely ever read the terms and conditions or the cookies policy – I don’t have the patience for it. But I think it’s important to have an idea about where your data is going to. I think people need to be a little more aware about how their data is being used.

That is an interesting concept that firms, and the internet at large, does not care about me as an individual, and true. However, that does not excuse them from treating my data as the raw material it is. A miner gets paid for providing the coal that powers the internet. Should I get paid for providing the data that powers the companies bottom line on the internet?

I do feel that in the business world, this is the common practice. They look at you as a customer, and how they can make money off of you vs. caring for you as an individual. As someone who has set up ads and used cookies to target a very specific audience, it can make marketing so much easier and the data you collect is pretty clear (or at least a first step). Traditional advertising makes it difficult to see what the ROI is – whether they are print, billboards, radio, etc. I definitely agree with you – digital advertising has its pros and cons. In my opinion – the pros definitely sit with the advertisers and some of the cons with the consumer and the privacy issues.

Hi Maddie! I’ve enjoyed looking through your website, hearing about your journey to get to this program, and all of your interests. Like you, I’ve also picked up reading again during quarantine. I used to love reading when I was younger, but as you said, being in college made it hard to find time to read for fun. I’ve been reading more sci-fi titles myself, but I have bookmarked your link to the 100 Best American Literature reading list. I think that’s an awesome challenge to work on!