How AI could widen health disparities without stronger policies

KevinMD September 15, 2024
Fadi Masoud and Sami Alahmadi

In the realm of health care, artificial intelligence (AI) stands as a beacon of transformative potential. With its ability to process vast amounts of data, AI promises to streamline diagnostic processes, enhance treatment precision, and revolutionize patient care. Yet, it’s overshadowed by various ethical concerns about perpetuating existing biases and systemic discrimination.

AI development is ultimately influenced by the datasets it’s trained on, making it vulnerable to biases present in that dataset. Take, for example, “race-based GFR” — a metric for determining kidney function–where equations incorporating a race coefficient inaccurately suggested higher function in Black Americans. This adjustment, based on unproven assumptions about muscle mass differences, overlooked social factors or other comorbidities. As a result, it failed to consider the...

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