Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Has a Major Cassandra Problem

F. Perry Wilson, MD MSCE
6 min readOct 18, 2023

Some lessons from the priestess of Troy

Today, I’m going to talk to you about a study at the cutting edge of modern medicine — one that uses an artificial intelligence model to guide care.

But before I talk to you about that, I need to take you back to the late bronze age, to a city located on the coast of what is now Turkey.

It’s towering walls made it seem unassailable, but that would not stop the Achaean’s and their fleet of black ships from making landfall, and, after a siege, destroying the city.

The Burning of Troy: Georg Trautmann

The destruction of Troy, as told in the Iliad and the Aeneid, was foretold by this woman — Cassandra — daughter of King Priam and Priestess of Troy.

Cassandra (Inset) Evelyn De Morgan

Cassandra had been given the gift of prophecy by the god Apollo in exchange for her favors… But after the gift was bestowed, she rejected the bright god and, in his rage, he added a curse to her blessing — that no one would ever…

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F. Perry Wilson, MD MSCE
F. Perry Wilson, MD MSCE

Written by F. Perry Wilson, MD MSCE

Medicine, science, statistics. Associate Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Yale. New book “How Medicine Works and When it Doesn’t” available now.

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