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by chickensong 175 days ago
> Imagine if it could start gently shilling a particular brand of antidepressant if you started talking to it about how you're feeling lonely and down. I'm not saying you should do that, but people definitely do.

Doctors already shill for big pharma. There are trust issues all the way down.
2 comments
johnecheck 175 days ago
> There are trust issues all the way down.

Nonetheless, we must somehow build trust in others and denounce the undeserving. Some humans deserve trust. Will these AI models?

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markdown 175 days ago
> Doctors already shill for big pharma.

This is not the norm worldwide.

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chickensong 175 days ago
I hope you're right and that it remains that way, but TBH my hopes aren't high.

Big pharma corps are multinational powerhouses, who behave like all other big corps, doing whatever they can to increase profits. It may not be direct product placement, kickbacks, or bribery on the surface, but how about an expense-paid trip to a sponsored conference or a small research grant? Soft money gets their foot in the door.

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