Technology
How Algorithmic Bias Reinforces Socioeconomic Inequality
Quick fact
A 2019 study found that a widely used healthcare algorithm was less likely to refer Black patients to extra care programs than equally sick white patients, because it used healthcare costs as a proxy for illness—and Black patients historically had lower healthcare spending due to barriers to access.
Why this is interesting
You might trust an algorithm to be fair because it's just math. But what if that math is quietly making inequality worse?