Healthcare provider Akido Labs is bringing AI-powered medical care directly to New York City's busy ride-share drivers, addressing a critical gap in access for gig workers who often skip seeing a doctor to avoid losing income. The Los Angeles-based company will deploy its ScopeAI technology, which suggests diagnoses and treatments based on patients' symptoms and medical histories, with human doctors reviewing and making final decisions. The Wall Street Journal reports that Akido trained its model with historical data gathered from actual patient visits.Partnering with the Independent Drivers Guild and Workers Benefit Fund, Akido plans to position employees equipped with ScopeAI in strategic locations throughout New York. Appointments facilitated by the technology typically last 30-45 minutes, with certified medical assistants gathering patient information prompted by the AI system. The initiative aims to deliver "whole person care" addressing physical, behavioral and social health factors for drivers whose demanding schedules often exceeding 10 hours a day make traditional healthcare access challenging.
