Will Google and/or Amazon help run the dispensary of the future? Will Google and/or Amazon help run the dispensary of the future? Google recently announced the availability of Google Home, their new voice activated speaker that has built-in software that acts like your personal digital assistant (think Jarvis from Iron Man movies, but significantly less capable and sarcastic). It reminded me that the artificial intelligence (AI) industry is becoming more mainstream and reaching more of our personal devices. You may have already heard of technologies like Alexa, Google Now, Siri, S Voice, etc. These technologies are placed in a physical standalone device (e.g. like a speaker that you place on your kitchen table) and interact with you to assist with all facets of daily life. Some of the features of these new devices include playing music and adjusting audio, setting appointments, reminding you of the weather and whether to bring an umbrella, making calls and more. You can also ask questions to the devices and it will comb the internet for the answer. These devices are also starting to dabble into healthcare. They have neat gimmicky features like spouting random medical facts, or directing you verbally though a 5 minute workout, but there is a lot of potential for a lot more interactivity. As a pharmacist, my perspective is medications, and this industry is where this technology can have a big impact. My friend and colleague Brandon wrote an article about one of the many implications of Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods. Be sure to check it out here: goo.gl/oNRC6X Amazon is already an expert in product distribution logistics. It has also shown a great interest in placing artificial intelligence into homes. These devices learn more about their users to help with their daily tasks but also (presumably) to sell them more stuff. Depending on Amazon's goals, with investment in automation and pharmacy benefits management/processing, it could have a great impact on the future of pharmacy. Here are a few technology-related ideas that would integrate well with evolving AI and our very own "personal assistant":
Here are a few real-life scenarios that could happen within the next few years. Each scenario highlights different features and the reality could easily be a combination of different scenarios: Scenario One:
Scenario Two:
Scenario Three:
Scenario Four:
Sources: https://madeby.google.com/home/ https://www.amazon.com/meet-alexa/b?ie=UTF8&node=16067214011 |
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