| | | | |  | | By Daniel Payne, Erin Schumaker, Ruth Reader and Carmen Paun | | | | | 
AI promises major improvement in translating the spoken and written word. | AFP via Getty Images | A simple problem has long hampered the sharing of best practices among doctors in different parts of the world: the language barrier. Artificial intelligence could perfect clunky translation services to combat the challenge. How so? A recent study, published in Frontiers, demonstrated how language-based AI systems could be used to translate and better distribute new guidance for health providers. In the study, 45 video modules covering a host of health care topics were translated and recreated with a synthetic voice speaking other languages. The synthetic voices, trained on native speakers, have the potential to close communication gaps in health care, the authors suggested. Though the study focused on Spanish translations for distribution in Latin America, the technology could easily translate the videos to several languages for use worldwide. Why it matters: AI could make the latest information on how to best care for patients far more accessible around the world, the authors said. But the study warns that safeguards to guide the tech’s use are needed.
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Vail, Colo. | Shawn Zeller/POLITICO | This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. Eating a healthy plant-based diet could reduce snoring, according to a new study from Australia, CBS reports. Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Carmen Paun at cpaun@politico.com, Daniel Payne at dpayne@politico.com, Ruth Reader at rreader@politico.com or Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@politico.com. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp.
| | |  More kids are getting their hands on magic mushrooms. | Peter Dejong, File | Calls to U.S. poison centers about psychedelics spiked among young people after cities and states started decriminalizing psilocybin, according to a new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Why it matters: Psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms, can cause side effects like anxiety, disorientation, fear, grief, paranoia and panic attacks — even in moderate doses. The drug also impairs judgment and perception, which can lead to dangerous behavior, accidents and even suicide risk. “It is markedly concerning to me that children are gaining access to these products,” Dr. Christopher Holstege, study co-author, director of the University of Virginia Health’s Blue Ridge Poison Center and chief of the Division of Medical Toxicology at the UVA School of Medicine, said in a statement. By the numbers: Researchers analyzed data from the National Poison Data System between 2013 and 2022. They found that, between 2018 and 2022, poison center calls for psilocybin: — Tripled, from 152 to 464 calls, among teenagers between ages 13 to 19 — Doubled, from 125 to 294 calls, among young adults between ages 20 to 25 The most common reasons for calls were hallucinations or delusions, agitation, an increased heart rate and confusion. Calls from those age groups remained largely unchanged between 2013 and 2018. Zoom out: Starting in 2019, cities and states, including Colorado, Detroit, Oregon, Seattle and Washington, D.C., began decriminalizing psilocybin. That’s partly due to research suggesting psilocybin could be a promising treatment for mental illness. The drug is in Phase III trials for treatment-resistant depression. A 2022 study conducted by biotech company Compass Pathways found that a third of patients with treatment-resistant depression who took the highest dose of psilocybin had fewer symptoms. Still, researchers wrote in the new study that they were particularly alarmed by the spike in psilocybin-related calls among children and young people. Even in jurisdictions where psilocybin is decriminalized, it’s banned for those 21 and younger.
| | | | YOUR TICKET INSIDE THE GOLDEN STATE POLITICAL ARENA: California Playbook delivers the latest intel, buzzy scoops and exclusive coverage from Sacramento and Los Angeles to Silicon Valley and across the state. Don't miss out on the daily must-read for political aficionados and professionals with an outsized interest in California politics, policy and power. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | | |  Levine assured parents Wednesday that the FTC is looking into social media. | POOL/AFP via Getty Images | | The Federal Trade Commission, which has broad powers to police unfair and deceptive business practices, is warning social media firms they’re on its radar. “If companies are using these features in ways that harm people, we’re prepared to act,” Sam Levine, the FTC’s director of consumer protection, said during a forum Wednesday. The agency heard from parents and their children, who said they developed eating disorders and other mental health issues from using social media. Doctors and advocates supported those stories with data showing that, developmentally, kids can’t resist the platform’s addictive features. Why it matters: The FTC has already taken several actions to protect kids from online harms. They include settlements with video software company Epic Games over tricking children into making unwanted purchases, and Amazon and now-defunct education company Edmodo for violating children’s data privacy. The agency is also trying to prohibit Meta from profiting off children’s data. The FTC has proposed rules to enhance protections for minors under the Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act, and is considering new rules around commercial surveillance. Levine said he’s thinking not only about how to regulate features that might harm kids but social media business models more broadly “because you get companies to abandon one feature, and they will find another to keep people hooked.” What’s next? FTC Chair Lina Khan said the agency is providing technical assistance to lawmakers “to make sure they can pass the strongest laws possible.” | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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