ALS and AI in the News: Musician Regains Voice, Healthcare Debates Emerge
In a story of both triumph and controversy, artificial intelligence is making headlines. Musician Patrick Darling, diagnosed with ALS, used AI to sing on stage again after losing his voice, while Dr. Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is advocating for AI avatars to address rural healthcare shortages, sparking debate. These developments highlight the diverse and sometimes contentious applications of AI in modern society.
Darling, a 32-year-old musician, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at 29, according to MIT Technology Review. The disease, also known as motor neuron disease (MND), affects the nerves controlling muscles, leading to loss of movement, speech, and breathing. His last stage performance was over two years prior to the recent event. With the help of AI, Darling was able to perform again with his bandmates, a deeply emotional moment for both him and the audience.
Meanwhile, Dr. Mehmet Oz is pushing for AI avatars to provide healthcare in rural areas. "There's no question about it - whether you want it or not - the best way to help some of these communities is gonna be AI-based avatars," Oz said at an event focused on addiction and mental health, as reported by NPR News. This proposal has generated criticism, though the specific nature of the criticism was not detailed in the provided source.
In other news, the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych's appeal against his disqualification from the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, according to Variety. The ruling barred him from competing due to a helmet honoring victims of Russia's invasion.
In the realm of technology, a project called yt-media-storage was highlighted on Hacker News. This project stores files on YouTube by encoding them into lossless video and decoding them back to the original file. It features file encoding/decoding, fountain codes for redundancy, optional encryption, and batch processing capabilities.
Finally, director Alain Gomis is set to return to the Berlinale competition with his film "DAO," exploring themes of colonization and displacement, according to Variety. The film marks his return to the competition nine years after his film "Felicité."
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