Entropy, Trust & Pattern Discovery: Heidi Larson and Mark Anderson on Misinformation and AI in Global Health | A Shot in the Arm Podcast

Jul 8, 2026

52:53

Episode Description

Host Ben Plumley welcomes Professor Heidi Larson (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine) and Dr. Mark Anderson (Pattern Computer/Strategic News Service) to discuss innovation and equity in global health through the lens of “entropy” as chaos in human and data systems. Larson reflects on vaccine confidence as a window into societal trust in government, science, technology, and information, and announces a new Lancet Commission on rethinking misinformation, health, and human security. Anderson explains pattern-based, hypothesis-free discovery, critiques large language models as probabilistic and untrustworthy for life‑critical medical decisions and emphasizes explainable AI. They explore how rapid technological and social change, emotional determinants of health, and social media contribute to fragmentation, and outline plans to collaborate on macro-level patterns driving trust and misinformation while expanding access to Pattern’s discovery tools through international programs.

00:00 Welcome and Theme

01:01 Meet Heidi Larson

03:52 Meet Mark Anderson

05:42 How They Connected

09:48 Defining Entropy

12:18 Why AI Is Untrustworthy

14:53 Heidi on Life Imbalance

19:19 Mark Pattern Thinking

23:05 Pattern Discovery Example

23:41 Gene Pattern Breakthrough

24:39 Least Action Across History

26:21 Rethinking Misinformation Systems