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A pharmacy chain in Vermont implemented AI for efficiency

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Re: A pharmacy chain in Vermont implemented AI for efficiency

#31

Post by jdw64 »

What I've noticed is that AI excels at tasks that are self-contained within a specific logical framework, like coding, writing, and mathematics. But conversation isn't self-contained and requires too much contextual information, which is why AI chatbots and counselors don't seem to perform well.

Ironically, coding and mathematics are about simplifying the complexity of the world and reducing it to logical procedures. That's exactly where AI performs well. But in any profession that involves friction with the real world, current AI still seems to fall short.

Re: A pharmacy chain in Vermont implemented AI for efficiency

#32

Post by zxexz »

rationalist wrote: post #20
ivewonyoung wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's 102 characters, HN's limit is 80.

Vermont pharmacy AI rollout leads to delays, misinformation and privacy concerns (Exactly 80 characters) Or with the Oxford Comma: Vermont pharmacy AI rollout brings delays, misinformation, and privacy concerns (79 characters)

I think in this case - where an editorialized title is better representative of the article, but the published title is too long - it’s usually left to someone like you to give a suggestion, publicly, which is then seen by @dang or their kith, who can then actually make spot adjustments. I personally approve of your editorialization, but that’s worth naught but a canker in a hedge

Re: A pharmacy chain in Vermont implemented AI for efficiency

#33

Post by trollbridge »

Impressive: they managed to use LLMs to recreate the CVS pharmacy experience, where you get random phone calls from random pharmacies offering to refill a prescription you don't need refilled, or better yet, they just call you to tell you it's already refilled.

Re: A pharmacy chain in Vermont implemented AI for efficiency

#34

Post by georgemcbay »

irishcoffee wrote: post #29
ivewonyoung wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's 102 characters, HN's limit is 80.

Upvote to you if you understand the obsolete rationale why it’s 80.

Presumably to avoid having to line wrap for all the lynx users connecting to HN using DEC VT100 terminals.

Re: A pharmacy chain in Vermont implemented AI for efficiency

#35

Post by trollbridge »

sghiassy wrote: post #5

Honest question, why aren’t pills dispensed by machines? I get that a pharmacist should review the prescription. And let’s say you even want employee-customer interaction; which is great. But dispensing X pills from one bottle to another bottle is a solved problem right?

A pharmacy tech actually counts the pills if they move them from Bottle A to Bottle B, it is not particularly time consuming, and it isn't a particularly skilled position. Starts at $14 an hour around me and tops out around $23.

Re: A pharmacy chain in Vermont implemented AI for efficiency

#37

Post by dreamcompiler »

Let me predict how Kinney management is going to react to this fiasco: They're going to call it a PR problem and say they haven't done a good enough job of selling the benefits to the customers. So they'll double down and tell the customers they're holding it wrong.

That will of course just piss off the customers more.

The right solution which will restore customer trust is to rip out all the AI shit, call it a failed experiment, and go back to the old system. They'll never do that because then the VP who thought up this garbage won't get his bonus.

This assumes a ton of HIPAA data doesn't get sent up to some cloud and then breached. If that happens, people will start going to prison. HIPAA enforcement does not fuck around. Or at least it didn't before AI and Elon took over everything.

Re: A pharmacy chain in Vermont implemented AI for efficiency

#38

Post by dyauspitr »

StephenAmar wrote: post #23
sghiassy wrote: post #5

Honest question, why aren’t pills dispensed by machines? I get that a pharmacist should review the prescription. And let’s say you even want employee-customer interaction; which is great. But dispensing X pills from one bottle to another bottle is a solved problem right?

Well, in many countries, pharmacies just dispense prepackaged packs and bottles. No counting involved.

Who packages them?

Re: A pharmacy chain in Vermont implemented AI for efficiency

#39

Post by toomuchtodo »

AussieWog93 wrote: post #28
Avicebron wrote: post #13

It seems like the article's unspoken consensus is if they hired people (ideally local) and paid them a living wage it would go back to working well enough like it did before they attempted the bot. I wonder why no one brought that up as a solution?

I am wary of stories like this, since they seem to appeal to what people want to be true rather than what is necessarily happening. There are a lot of businesses quietly and conservatively implementing AI and seeing real results - it's just the crazy Jerry Springer blowups you hear about!

Do you have examples of customer facing real results you could share?

Re: A pharmacy chain in Vermont implemented AI for efficiency

#40

Post by wpm »

AussieWog93 wrote: post #28
Avicebron wrote: post #13

It seems like the article's unspoken consensus is if they hired people (ideally local) and paid them a living wage it would go back to working well enough like it did before they attempted the bot. I wonder why no one brought that up as a solution?

I am wary of stories like this, since they seem to appeal to what people want to be true rather than what is necessarily happening. There are a lot of businesses quietly and conservatively implementing AI and seeing real results - it's just the crazy Jerry Springer blowups you hear about!

Yes, but that only some businesses do that flys in the face of the breathless, borderline psychotic boosterism a lot of us tend to hear quite a lot of, that AI is gojng to revolutionize everything.
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