Tag: privacy

Is There a Role for AI in Healthcare? Exploring Its Potential

February 25, 2026

A talk I listened to on how AI works with healthcare left me puzzled. A PhD working at the hospital explained LLMs (Large Language Models), such as Co-Pilot, ChatGPT, and Gemini, and compared them to search engines like Google and Bing. I thought I understood the difference: while search engines provide sources for queries, such as links or URLs, LLMs combine multiple sources into text and provide a human-like form of written communication.

According to the speaker, search engines maintain up-to-date information by constantly crawling the web, while LLMs remain current only up to the time they were trained, that is, the information they were given. This is so because not all LLMs are tied to the internet, so they do not have up-to-date information. So, I took it that search engines are good for research, while LLMs offer text and context to a query.

Both tools share the same starting point: the prompt. A question or prompt to a search engine would bring up links and URLs, while an LLM would generate a complete essay on the subject.

I was aware of much of this information; I have used search engines for years, and in the last year, I tried my hand at using some LLMs, for example, Co-Pilot, which is built into the MS Office suite. But how does all this technology relate to healthcare? That was the title of the presentation. So, I asked for an example at the end of the lecture. I said I see a cardiologist sitting at a computer, an MRI image on the screen, and a patient on the side. What does he do to use AI? Does he use a prompt about the MRI taken of the patient sitting next to him? Instead of a direct answer, the speaker explained that the infrastructure for using AI is not yet complete; for example, the hospital must have its own storage for the data, it cannot use storage elsewhere due to privacy concerns.

Also, I did not find answers to how doctors are trained to use AI or what percentage of them are currently using it. Anecdotally, I remember that when I last visited my ophthalmologist, he was concerned and dubious about computerizing his patients’ information. I wonder how long it may take for the medical profession to embrace and use computer technology, especially AI.

Coming back to a live example of how the medical profession may use AI, would he/she ask AI to examine the MRI and identify any medical problem shown on the image? The speaker emphasized that AI is only a tool to use and ultimately, the doctor decides on treatment, potentially using information gleaned with AI tools. After the lecture, I told the speaker that a few examples of medical professionals using AI would have been useful.

To test what I learned, I came home and used a prompt: “Write 300 words on the Vatican Museum”, and asked Google and Co-Pilot, to respond. To my surprise, both apps wrote a nice essay. It appears that the boundaries between search engines and LLMs are blurring, especially as technology advances and these tools integrate.

However, while both can provide information, their use in the specialized, privacy-sensitive field of healthcare remains challenging. There is potential, but also barriers in infrastructure, training, and trust.

PS. In today’s Washington Post, February 24, there is an article by a doctor about how to use AI in medical practice. “AI didn’t replace me as a doctor. It made me better.” By Ashish K. Jha

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/02/24/health-care-ai-doctors-chatbots/

Finding Travel Partners: Lessons from Ottawa West Probus

February 6, 2026

I was disappointed attending an organizational meeting for a travel group. The Ottawa West Probus Club decided to establish a travel interest group. A volunteer arranged the meeting to discuss what we should do. We met in a cold church room with no coffee provided. A poor beginning for me. On top of this, only five people showed up, including me. A very inauspicious start, when we have two hundred people in the Probus Club.

Right off the bat, someone mentioned privacy concerns. She took exception to the spreading of personal emails; I assumed she was referring to the invitation to this meeting. I wondered how difficult it would be to organize a group without using email today. Should we use a phone instead and call each participant? Would that be time-consuming? The same person also expressed a dislike for people taking pictures when the lunch group meets.

After this curious discussion of privacy issues, the organizer asked what we wanted to get out of this meeting! Since this was the second meeting of this group, and since only I and another person were new, I thought the purpose of this group had already been established. But no, the agenda was wide open.

I suggested three options based on experience: holding monthly meetings with travel slide shows, inviting guest speakers from travel companies, or organizing group trips ourselves.

These options were not what the organizer had in mind; she explained that this group would serve only as a “travel dating” site, where people with similar travel interests would be introduced to one another. And once such a group coalesced, they would handle travel arrangements like flights, hotels, and tours. Ok. But why is such a service needed?

Well, she explained, people do not like to travel solo and look for company. Family or friends, I assume. The assumption is that people do not find family members or friends available to travel with and look for travel companions with similar interests, likely members of the Probus Club.

I agree with her opinion. It is a challenge to find friends or family to travel with, as preferences for travel differ—some enjoy cruising, while others prefer five-star hotels. Our nascent travel group aims to connect Probus Club members with similar travel interests and preferences.  

The idea of traveling in a group with local people made me think of what we used to do. We used to arrange our trips and travel with a backpack, just the two of us. We looked forward to meeting local people in faraway countries, tasting their food, whether spicy or not, and learning about their culture. Getting lost on our way was always a highlight, a learning experience, and I thought we were enriched by such unanticipated adventures.

I am not sure that I want to travel with our Probus friends; in fact, traveling with a group often limits interaction with locals. Guided tours are efficient for planning, but limit opportunities to engage with locals. Some prefer arranged trips, while others enjoy planning their own trip.

I left the meeting with no information on the next steps. But it has become clear to me that the organizer should explain the idea for this travel group in the Probus Club newsletter. And that there should be a structure in place to allow people to sign up for trips of their choice.

Considering all this, I left the meeting seeing limited value of this travel group for our Probus Club. But I give full credit to the organizer for trying to get this group off the ground.

Note: Probus is a worldwide organization run by volunteers. It is a non-profit organization for semi-retired and retired professionals and businesspeople, with no political or religious ties.   It started in the United Kingdom by a Rotary Club.