In a previous column on how artificial intelligence is on the verge of dominating large workflows in healthcare without a human being “in the loop,” I warned that the very nature of healthcare is now up for cultural grabs. The bean counters and efficiency mongers are demanding the use of AI in ways that threaten the profession itself.

I detailed several recent examples, but here’s another one: the health system giant Kaiser Permanente is using AI to evaluate everything from a nurse’s productivity to her empathy and tone of voice. The result, some nurses said, was a fundamental change in the nature of the care they offered. One nurse nervously watched the clock as she stayed on the phone to care for someone experiencing suicidal ideation. Another cut short a conversation with a newly diagnosed terminal patient.