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AI Medicine United Kingdom

Amazon's Alexa Will Deliver NHS Medical Advice in the UK (theverge.com) 45

"The UK's National Health Service (NHS) has announced what it claims is a world first: a partnership with Amazon's Alexa to offer health advice from the NHS website."

An anonymous reader quotes the Verge: Britons who ask Alexa basic health questions like "Alexa, how do I treat a migraine?" and "Alexa, what are the symptoms of flu?" will be given answers vetted by NHS health professionals and currently available on its website. At the moment, Alexa sources answers to such questions from a variety of places, including the Mayo Clinic and WebMD.

The partnership does not add significantly to Alexa's skill-set, but it is an interesting step for the NHS. The UK's Department of Health (DoH) says it hopes the move will reduce the pressure on health professionals in the country, giving people a new way to access reliable medical advice. It will also benefit individuals with disabilities, like sight impairments, who may find it difficult to use computers or smartphones to find the same information.

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Amazon's Alexa Will Deliver NHS Medical Advice in the UK

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  • Will it help people who don't have, or can't afford to have Alexa? Huge majority of people doesn't, mind you.
  • this is a cool feature, really i like it.
    problem is i don't trust those smart speakers, so no matter what cool features they add, i'm not buying them.

    i can imagine it now;
    Alexa, what are the symptoms of flu?

    next thing you know, your inbox is full of flu vaccine spam.

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