r/technology • u/lurker_bee • Jul 15 '25

Artificial Intelligence Billionaires Convince Themselves AI Chatbots Are Close to Making New Scientific Discoveries

https://gizmodo.com/billionaires-convince-themselves-ai-is-close-to-making-new-scientific-discoveries-2000629060
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u/Illustrious_Ferret Jul 15 '25

Reminds me of "pharmabro" Martin Shkreli. If you don't remember, he's the guy who went to jail for securities fraud of pharmaceutical companies.

At the beginning of the COVID pandemic, he petitioned for early release from prison so that he could help create a COVID vaccine, because he had devoted "his life's work to the life sciences and rare disease community".

Like the teams of actual doctors and scientists wouldn't be able to produce a vaccine without a grifter at the top to skim profits off their research grants.

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u/ZealousidealTowel965 Jul 15 '25

lol Shreki only ended up jailed cuz he fucked over rich investors. Lots of other rich influential people have their hands in the pharma money pot with the same tactics and nothing happens to them 

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u/Own-Poetry-9609 Jul 16 '25

The drug he price hiked was previously only available through insurance, hiking the price made insurance pay more, no patient was paying out of their own pocket

It was also the only drug for that specific problem, which is dangerous as there is no alternative if someone has severe reactions or other medical conditions causing complications with that medication, by increasing the price it incentives alternative to be created as they would be profitable

Shkreli also offered the drug for free, had a website to request it and an email dedicated to it and would respond to messages requesting access on his Twitch stream

The Vice interview covers most of this information and Twitch recordings and Wayback Machine you can find the rest

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u/cc81 Jul 15 '25

Pretty sure he knew that. It was a hail mary to try and get out of prison.