In an astonishing scientific breakthrough, a team of researchers has introduced the ‘Doom Calculator’, a powerful tool capable of predicting not only the likely time of an individual’s death but also their future earnings with a remarkable 78% accuracy.
In a groundbreaking development in artificial intelligence, Danish researchers have unveiled an AI algorithm capable of predicting human mortality with notable precision. This innovative tool, known as the ‘Doom Calculator,’ has been a topic of widespread discussion following a detailed report by Mike Snider in USA TODAY.
The ‘Doom Calculator’, as dubbed by the U.K.’s Daily Mail, demonstrated its proficiency by accurately forecasting the death of individuals within a four-year timeframe in over 75% of cases. This advancement was revealed in a recent publication in the Nature Computational Science journal, marking a significant milestone in the field of AI.
Developed by a team of scientists from Denmark and the United States, the core of this technology is the ‘life2vec’ machine-learning model. Although it doesn’t interact with users like ChatGPT, ‘life2vec’ is adept at analyzing a vast array of data, including age, health, education, job status, and income. The algorithm was trained on data from over 6 million Danish citizens, provided through a collaboration with the country’s government.
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According to the researchers, the AI model processes life data in a unique way, constructing detailed human life trajectories from various life events. Sune Lehmann, a professor at the Technical University of Denmark and a principal researcher in the study, explained this in an interview with Northeastern Global News.
One of the most striking outcomes of the project is the AI’s ability to predict death occurrences by 2020 with about 78% accuracy. However, the researchers did not disclose these predictions to the individuals involved in the study, citing ethical considerations. The AI also identified certain trends, such as the impact of mental health, gender, and professional skills on life expectancy.
Lehmann and his team are currently not making the program and its data available to the public to protect the privacy of the individuals whose information was used. The application of this model beyond Denmark remains uncertain, as societal factors differ significantly across regions.
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The purpose of ‘life2vec’, as emphasized by Tina Eliassi-Rad, a computer science professor involved in the project, is to monitor societal trends rather than to make individual predictions. The ethical implications of using AI for such sensitive predictions are a matter of intense debate.
The emergence of this AI tool opens up numerous discussions around the ethical use of technology in predicting human life events. Experts like Art Caplan, a bioethics professor at New York University, foresee a future where consumers might access personal life forecasts, leading to potential conflicts over privacy and the usage of such data.
This development in AI, while showcasing technological prowess, also prompts crucial questions about the ethical boundaries of machine learning and its impact on human life.
