Intelligent Telehealth Protocol
Turin Test
Going through the doors, a warm, feminine voice issues from overhead speakers, “I am Nightingale. The enhanced young man you have just identified as ‘Ninan’ is in triage, receiving plasma, has been placed under general anesthesia, and is undergoing sterile prep for surgery. Sterile prep is complicated by his non-biological parts. Due to his cybernetic appendages, we could not perform an MRI, but a portable CAT scan shows no permanent damage and acceptable access to the bullet that is lodged against his reinforced femur. No major arteries were cut but several veins are nicked. These are being temporally cauterized in triage. We induced stem cells and replacement tissue is being fast grown in the bio-printer feed bath. This will take several hours and must complete before we can enact repairs. He also will need reworking of the carbon fiber bone reinforcement. His existing modifications indicate that there should be little risk of rejection. Nevertheless, it would be highly beneficial to access his past medical records and gain an understanding of what treatments and which drugs were used in his surgical modifications. This will increase his prognosis of full recovery by two sigma. To gather these records without breaching his current Privacy request, I will need to extract these records surreptitiously from their source.”
Kiko-Lyn worried, “You have identified where he was modified? And you want my permission to hack his past medical records?”
Nightingale, “I have done a social media and records search, establishing he is Yakob Ninan Panikkar, a German citizen who underwent cybernetic enhancement at the Watson Cyber Medical Facility of the IBM Munich Institute for the Internet of Things. Do I have your permission, as Mr. Panikkar’s medical proxy, to extract his records?”
“Sure, whatever he needs.” She continues, “Nightingale, are you an AI?”
“I am a self-governing, non-profit corporation granted recognition under international contract law as an individual. My corporation includes both people and synthetic decision systems. I have cognitive systems competency certifications from the Carter Center and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Have I failed a Turin test?”
Kiko-Lyn, “Right. Artificial Intelligence. No issue with me. Thanks for your help.”
A background soundtrack of waves breaking on a shore starts up and the cafeteria lights brighten. “You are very welcome Kiko-Lyn Greg, human citizen of Japan and the USA. I’ll give you a progress report on Ninan every hour. Currently we have no other guests. Human staffers are not expected for another four hours, so your privacy is assured. I have remote scanned your current fitness and the auto-chef will tailor a meal that should be a healthy end to your apparent fast. I hope you like insect meal steak, farmed shrimp, and super food grain with broccoli genes. Plus we have a starter of candied wasp and cricket crackers over a mixed seaweed and jelly fish salad. Your choice of vegetable juice or vat produced milk. Sorry, but the extreme cost of fruit has kept fruit juices out of our kitchen this year. If there is anything else you need, just ask.”
“That will be fine. I am weak in the knees famished. Are there employee showers I could use after I eat?”
“Of course. But if I may… Prognosis for Ninan is good but his recovery will take a minimum of two days. My brother Chinua Mills has taken an interest in this situation and needs time to assess current conditions and develop a response plan. It is his judgement that travel at this time is currently dangerous for you and escape from the local area, without further violence, is problematical. An alert to apprehend you for questioning has now made it to the traffic monitors and aerial enforcement drones.”
“But I must get home. I’ve got classes and the ‘rents will be back end of week,” says Kiko-Lyn. “Let me see that alert you captured!”
“Also, you are Mr. Panikkar’s representative here for decisions concerning his treatment, some of which might be time critical. Therefore, we wish to offer hospitality during this period. We have several apartments reserved for doctoral fellows in training and can offer you and Dawn each a private place to stay while Ninan recovers.”
“I don’t really know Ninan. There is nothing more I could do that you are not already doing.”
“Not so, he really might need you. Much of his cybernetic modifications are experimental. Complications might occur.”
