Humans play: what technological debate in baseball can teach health care on the value of the connection

The dominant conversation of baseball this season does not concern a successful agreement or predictions of the playoffs. This is something much more fundamental: who, or what, should make calls that define the American hobby.

Major League Baseball is experimenting with an automated ball ticket system, allowing players to challenge calls with radar technology. The system has been used at the level of the minor league since the 2021 season and has been implemented in training in the spring and the star match this year.

However, some players, managers and fans repel, fearing that the introduction of Robo-Umpires would ultimately kill the soul of the game. An anonymous survey of the MLB players of The Athletic, carried out earlier this year, showed that more than 60% of the players were against balls and Robo-up call strikes.

The automated ball ball system now works on the challenges, but many say that its introduction will ultimately lead the League to adopt fully automated game calls. How far are we going to take technology? In theory, we could simply connect everyone’s statistics into an algorithm and completely simulate the game. The result could be more “precise”, but would it still be baseball?

The concern reveals something revealing, not only of baseball, but of the way in which we relate to technology. Even when the machines surpass people on paper, we hesitate. For what? Because precision alone does not satisfy us. We always appreciate the nuance, empathy and unpredictability that only human judgment can offer.

A familiar dilemma in health care

The tension between the progress of technology and human connection is not unique in baseball, they take place every day in health care.

Digital tools have transformed medication support: non-adherence algorithms, chatbots manage patients’ basic issues and automated systems send charging reminders. On paper, it is a victory: evolving, efficient and consistent.

And yet, something essential is likely to be lost in the transfer. A recent study revealed that patients and health professionals have expressed their concerns about the emotional limits of AI. The participants feared that AI will simulate empathy without really understanding human emotion, creating a false feeling of connection. A supplier said it frankly: “Patients can really emotionally develop a relationship with this AI … In fact, I don’t see anyone.” In the continuation of optimization, do we forget what patients really need?

The irreplaceable power of human connection

Sports remind us that perfection is not the point, connection is. What makes us move is not the impeccable execution of the rules, but human moments: hesitation before a pitch is called, the missed calls that we debate for days, the emotion which cannot be automated. Health care, like baseball, is ultimately a human experience. And no matter how much the tools are advanced, patients always want to feel something real: that someone sees them, hears them and care.

In health care, precision is important, but it is only part of the equation. When someone is diagnosed with chronic disease or the start of a new medication, it is often faced with a multitude of emotions, including fear, confusion and isolation. What they need at that time is not only correct information is reassuring. A feeling that someone walks by his side.

This is where real support lives and a real change occurs. The most effective support does not come from a perfectly timed reminder; It comes from a time of connection. A reassured voice. A conversation that motivates. An experience that feels human, not clinical.

Where empathy meets innovation

Whether baseball or health care, the real question is not if we have to choose between humans and technology; It is that we thought of the bad choice. The question is not whether robots can call strikes more precisely than referees, or if the AI ​​can process patient data faster than doctors. Of course, they can. The best question is: what type of support advances people (or the favorite pastime in America)?

The future of health care (and baseball) is not fully automated. It is orchestrated, combining the consistency of intelligent technology with irreplaceable empathy of human engagement. This is how we set up confidence. This is how we change behavior. And that’s how we better improve health care – a human bond at the same time.

Photo: Alexlmx, Getty Images

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