Why We Demand Perfect Machines Yet Tolerate Human Carnage | Dr. Jonathan Slotkin
Episode Description
Every day, roughly 100 Americans die in crashes caused by human drivers. Yet when a self-driving car hesitates at an intersection or makes the news for an unusual mistake, public trust can evaporate.
In this special episode, Dr. Jonathan Slotkin reads his latest Noema essay exploring why we demand perfection from machines while accepting human error as inevitable. Drawing on lessons from medicine, psychology, and autonomous vehicles, he argues that the biggest barrier to safer technology is trust.
You'll learn:
- Why humans judge machine mistakes differently than human mistakes
- What healthcare learned about the difference between being safe and feeling safe
- Why autonomous vehicles may already be far safer than human drivers
- How public perception can slow the adoption of life-saving technology
- What every AI company should learn about transparency and trust
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About our guest:
Dr. Jonathan Slotkin is a neurosurgeon and nationally recognized physician leader working at the intersection of patient care, system transformation, and venture-backed innovation. He serves as Chief Medical Officer of Contigo Health, a Premier Inc. company focused on building high-performance networks and employer health solutions that directly connect Fortune 500 companies with top-tier health systems and providers.
At Geisinger, Dr. Slotkin is Vice Chair of Neurosurgery and serves as Associate Chief Medical Informatics Officer (ACMIO), helping lead enterprise digital transformation and care delivery modernization across one of the nation’s most respected integrated health systems. His clinical practice focuses on complex and minimally invasive spine surgery, while his leadership spans virtual care, value-based care design, and applied informatics.
Dr. Slotkin is also Co-Founder and General Partner of Scrub Capital, a healthcare-focused venture firm investing in early-stage companies redefining how care is delivered, accessed, and experienced. Scrub Capital actively partners with founders at the translational edge of clinical insight and scalable, real-world impact.
A frequent speaker and advisor across the industry, Dr. Slotkin brings a systems-level perspective to solving healthcare’s most pressing challenges—combining firsthand clinical experience with deep engagement in strategy, technology, and capital deployment.
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This piece was commissioned, edited, and published by Noema Magazine. Noema publishes longform journalism exploring fresh ideas. To read this piece and others, head to noemamag.com.
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