Human-Making Games: Which Baseball Tech Debate Can Teach Healthcare About Connecting Values
The conversation that dominated baseball this season has nothing to do with sensational trades or playoff predictions. It's about a more basic thing: who or what should do the call that defines American pastime.
Major League Baseball is trying to use an automated ball system that allows players to access using radar technology. The system has been used at the minor league level since the 2021 season and has been implemented in spring training and this year's All-Star Game.
However, some players, managers and fans are pushing back, fearing that introducing robots could end up killing the game’s soul. An anonymous MLB player poll conducted earlier this year showed that more than 60% of players opposed the robot's call and hitting the ball.
The automated ball system now runs according to the challenge, but many say its introduction will eventually lead to the league's adoption of fully automatic gaming phones. How far will we adopt this technology? In theory, we can insert everyone's statistics into the algorithm and simulate the game completely. The result may be more “accurate”, but is it still baseball?
The question reveals something that is told, not just baseball, but also how we relate to technology. Even the people on the machine should hesitate to perform on paper. Why? Because precision alone does not satisfy us. We still value the nuances, empathy, and unpredictability that only human judgment can provide.
Familiar health care dilemma
The tension between technology and relationship advancements is not unique to baseball, and they play a role in healthcare every day.
Digital tools have been converted to drug support: algorithms do not comply with chatbots, chatbots handle basic patient issues, and automated systems send additional reminders. On paper, it's a win: scalable, efficient and consistent.
However, some basic risks are lost in handover. A recent study found that patients and healthcare professionals expressed concerns about the emotional limits of AI. Participants feared that AI would simulate empathy without truly understanding human emotions, resulting in a false sense of connection. One provider said bluntly: “The patient may actually have an emotional relationship with this AI…I have never actually met anyone.” In pursuit of optimization, have we forgotten what the patient actually needs?
The irreplaceable power of interpersonal relationships
Sports reminds us that perfection is not the point, connection is. What touches us is not the perfect rule execution, but the human moment: hesitation before the pitch, the uncaused call we debate for several days, and emotions cannot be automated. Like baseball, health care is ultimately a human experience. No matter how advanced the tools are, patients still want to feel the real thing: someone sees them, hears them, and cares.
In healthcare, accuracy is important, but it is only part of the equation. When someone is diagnosed with a chronic disease or starts a new medication, they often face many emotions, including fear, confusion, and isolation. What they need in that moment is not only the right information, but also the peace of mind. The feeling of someone walking with them.
This is where real support for life and real change. The most effective support is not from the perfect timing reminder. It comes from the moment of connection. Reassuring voice. Motivating dialogue. An experience that feels human rather than clinical.
Empathy meets innovation
Whether it’s baseball or healthcare, the real question is not whether we should choose between humans and technology; it’s the choice we’ve been thinking about wrong. The question is not whether the robot can call strikes more accurately than the referee, or whether the AI can process patient data faster than the doctor. sure. The better question is: Which support actually drives people (or America’s favorite pastime) forward?
The future of healthcare (and baseball) is not yet fully automated. It is carefully planned to combine the consistency of intelligent technology with the irreplaceable empathy of human participation. This is how we build trust. This is how we change our behavior. That's how we make healthcare work better – at one time it's a relationship.
Photo: Alexlmx, Getty Images
Michael Oleksiw is a corporate entrepreneur who is passionate about technology, product development and creating excellent user experiences. Throughout his career, he has owned handmade bicycles, commercial software for clinical trials, launched groundbreaking CME technology for doctors, and introduced leading fashion technology products to the world's top brands. He also established the offshore development center, and for more than a decade he has been on Pleio to build frictionless personalized solutions to address the emotional barriers patients face during drug travel.
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