Thread regarding Elevance Health (Anthem) layoffs

@k2, I wasn't trying to "get" anyone. I'm saying you can see in front of your own eyes these things writing the code and filing the forms and writing the reports and doing a great job of it if you bother to look. If you see it and you experience it and you still think people need to be filling the firms and centering the div because cancer researchers and nuclear engineers being real human value then I've got a bridge to sell you. It's delulu thinking.

@k2, I wasn't trying to "get" anyone. I'm saying you can see in front of your own eyes these things writing the code and filing the forms and writing the reports and doing a great job of it if you borher to look. If you see it and you experience it and you still think people need to be filling the firms and centering the div because cancer researchers and nuclear engineers being real human value then I've got a bridge to sell you. It's delulu thinking.

@jb If by you saying “computer jockey” you are trying to get to me, well, sorry but I am basically retired from all that.

The point I was attempting to make with you, although apparently failed, is that no matter how much AI can do, now and in the future, you will always need subject matter experts, no matter the field, including computer processes or whatever.

For instance, are wood working artisan (craftsmen) really needed anymore to make wood desks or chairs, taking a week or longer to create one, when you have mass producing machines that can sp-t out 100 or more desks every hour? Why yes you do. So you need a machinist that understands the bending strength of every metal sc--w, joint, etc. for every type of metal? When there are mass producing machines that take care of all that. Why yes you do?

Point is, the tool although you can argue can be made to do away with the one wielding the tool. Problem with that logic is, what happens of these automated mass producing tools fro some unknown reason have to disappear, such as a nuclear event. Or what happens when adjustments or improvements beed to be made but to do so there is a need of someone that knows and understands how things work at their core creation from scratch, which knowledge may be needed to improve, fix, or modify.

Same goes with anything that AI. Not to mention the legal ramifications that can occur if a human being is not on the hook when things go badly but only an AI bot or AI process. We have already seen that happen with AI self running cars.

Anyway, I am tired of typing and doubt I am even getting through.

Also, I did not even mention the amount of electricity would need to be generated by AI data centers to do all the things that “you think” AI can do. I doubt too many persons want AI Data Centers in their back yard and causing electrical grid blackouts and their electric bills going up. Next these AI vendors will be wanting Nuclear plants put in every state to generate enough power for these AI Data Centers. Now, if that is not a horrible idea, I don’t know what is.

@ja, never said it could it all. But it can do all or most of this... It can't replace a nurse.. most computer jockeys, form handlers... There's an app for that.

@j2 So, to extend your vast an esoteric knowledge and logic to the next level, we probably should consider doing away with scientists, researchers looking for a cure for cancer, space exploration scientists, all teachers/professors, musicians, artists, transportation professionals, politicians, etc.

Because, as you say AI can do it all?

Okay, got it! Not buying it but you keep believing that nonsense.

@j2 Closing Time - "Closing time, you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here."

@f1, you might still need mathematicians but you don't need them calculating ballistic trajectories. That's because you have computers for that which do a better job of it. So humanity and civilization might need these people and their acumen. But they won't need them to be doing accounting or risk assessments or making web apps... Because the Ais can do it faster and better and not complain about it. Just because we have metallurgy that doesn't mean we don't need people who can work with tools anymore. But it does mean that those people do not need to chip flint anymore. Nobody needs to chip flint anymore. The flint chipping industry is out of business! Just like the industry of human calculators of naval ballistics trajectories.

I former colleague of mine shared this thread to me to find if AI is creating the same havoc at my current company. I'm a former employee of EH and currently have coverage from UNH at my new employer. Having seen transformation projects at EH over the last few years, i can say that leadership is clueless and incompetent. The guy leading the cloud initiative had no experience in cloud technologies. AC, the guy in line to be the next RL, has no experience of the outside world and where HealthIT is headed. I have worked with some great folks at EH ( mostly from business side), and i can confidently say that so many employees are held back due to politics at work and their incompetent managers. People hold back knowledge sharing so they can continue to hold onto their job assuming nobody can replace them. So many of them try to hide behind their managers, create silos, use outdated processes to push back work, deliver shoddy pieces of work and create little to no documentation resulting in creation of artificial 'drowning under work' scene. UNH in my experience so far has so much better systems and is at least 3-4 years ahead of EH. GOOD luck to you all!!

@d7 I don’t mean to offend but it is rather delusional to dismiss actual computer science acumen in lieu of AI.

That is like saying calculators are so good we no longer need mathematicians nor even ever need to teach anyone math ever again. Think that through. If you don’t see the logic in what I have said so far and I would need to explain they why the human knowledge is still needed and always will be needed, then I would be wasting my time to try and explain. Because you have already swallowed the blue pill.

For better or worse, the plan is a winner for him. He can get rid of as many as he needs and wants. He doesn't even need the contractors for the most part. The AI agents themselves are much cheaper and much better contractors. The technology has gotten so good that you don't need to be good at it, you just need to tweak it a little bit and then maintain its compute and its network and it does everything. The tech has caught up and exceeded the hot air of these people... All that cr-p that they spewed and the ravings about some scenarios they had in their head last night, it's a snap of the fingers away now, minus governance and compliance and all the paperwork. You can be upset about it but all the junk they spew, they have the tools at hand now to actually do it very fast and that includes as many cuts as they want. This daydream, hallucination, wishful thinking, BS, stuff, it's actually happening now; not because of how good of a job they've done, just that's where the technology is now. They can pretty much manifest at it and it just works.

if you are meeting your metrics then you meet - read your performance document CAREFULLY and make sure you are following what is expected of you to meet standards which is all you will get anyway. When asked to do more respond "I will do my best", then shut up and do your core work and a smattering of what you have been assigned. If you choose to stay or cannot find another job, this is your survival tactic until you can. And remember no one is your friend. Smile, nod, say something they want to hear and keep your mouth shut otherwise. When asked why you are quiet at staff meetings respond "I was taking it all in, etc. " In the end if they Rif you they will. And remember people who did EVERYTHING AND THEN SOME got Rif'd.

@ax Just because you can do something doesn’t necessarily mean you should.

Just because mankind can create something that can in theory, or reality, do all human beings jobs and replace them, doesn’t mean you should.

Read your history where thousands of years ago mankind joined forces snd decided to create a tower of Babel that could reach way up into the heavens. And then when a greater force than themselves recognized and knew the heart of man, had confused their efforts. There is much more to that account but I will let you look it up for yourself. But spoiler alert, it did not work out well for those arrogant tower builders. We can learn a lot from history, if we are jist willing.

Hey, so the AI thing is 100% the real deal. It's blocked with bureocracy and approvals and governance processes but it can basically just do everything. It's undersold if anything. It's not obvious because people are slow rolling it since it can for the most part just do everybody's jobs right out of the box since around March. Just fyi.

@a3 My soul.md is alive and well. It’s not a hardline. It’s a matter of fact. If the speed limit is 55 and the company wants you to drive 85 and you do. Then who’s getting the ticket? “I can’t drive 55”, which is also why I don’t bi--h and moan. I choose to work more, not because I’m forced.

@a3 get a soul, or rather figure out and realize you do!

Day is coming things are not going to be working out for you so well. So, tough guy, keep taking your hardline! You are nothing, dude! You probably you think you’re a man. Got news for you; you are not!

@OP - ”all this has forced rest of the team to pick the load” - don’t enable them. They do it because they can. Do your job and go home.