CHAPTER 9

THE FIREPOWER OF INDISPENSABLE TECHNOLOGIES

AI is a tool. The choice about how it gets deployed is ours.

—OREN ETZIONI, CEO, Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence

In December 2014, Apple stores began selling an intriguing product: a personal thermometer that connected to an iPhone. It was a nifty idea, and like many nifty ideas that thrive with the Internet of Things (IoT), it began to evolve the moment it was born.

Within two years, the ear thermometer, which a San Francisco startup called Kinsa manufactured, was synced to the iPhone app via Bluetooth. The app included the voice and image of Sesame Street’s popular Elmo character, who spoke to children while their temperature was being taken. The app could be informed by a patient’s ...

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