New York City hospitals drop Palantir as controversial AI firm expands in UK

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Palantir’s Role and Business Model

  • Many see Palantir as a glorified IT consulting shop: builds custom data systems (e.g., patient records) with young engineers, charges high fees.
  • Compared to big consultancies (Deloitte/EY/KPMG/PwC) but viewed as slightly more capable technically.
  • Others describe its main product as government-focused business intelligence/analytics, akin to PowerBI for the public sector.

Why Organizations Use Palantir

  • Common explanation: customers lack in‑house technical talent to build complex data systems.
  • Some argue Palantir’s continued government and military contracts indicate it reliably delivers on contracts.
  • Others attribute those contracts more to lobbying and political influence than to product superiority.

Healthcare and Public Sector Concerns

  • Several commenters strongly support NYC hospitals dropping Palantir, citing privacy risks of a single private vendor deeply embedded in public health data.
  • Counterpoint: private companies already provide critical medical equipment and services; concern should focus on degree of influence, not mere presence.
  • Related note: NYC schools adopting AI guidelines (no training on student PII, no AI-determined grades) is seen as a small but positive step.

Ethics, Politics, and “Evil Company” Image

  • Some label Palantir “the most evil company,” equating it to surveillance or “spyware,” though others push back that “spyware” has a specific meaning not met here.
  • The company’s name and branding are seen by some as intentionally ominous.
  • Leadership (including ties to prominent political figures) is described by critics as extreme, anti-democratic, and closely associated with controversial US government activities.

AI and Surveillance Narratives

  • Palantir now branding itself as an “AI firm” is viewed as part of a broader trend where “everyone is an AI firm.”
  • Some assert “all AI companies are spyware companies,” expressing generalized distrust of AI and data collection.
  • A reported future role in controlling a hypothetical orbital weapon system raises alarm for some, while others dismiss it as likely incompetence and grift rather than a real strategic threat.

Data Privacy and Trust

  • Strong fears that Palantir could create data backdoors and that businesses broadly violate data privacy.
  • Distrust in the judicial and political system (e.g., pardons, impunity) amplifies concern about placing sensitive health data in such hands.
  • Several UK-focused comments explicitly demand that Palantir be kept away from their medical data.