By Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, M.D., Special to California Black Media Partners
Technology is often portrayed as an impartial entity, detached from human emotion and bias. We are led to believe that computers can strip decision-making of error and prejudice. However, for many Black families, the reality is starkly different. The lived experiences of these families reveal how technology, primarily when trained on biased systems, perpetuates the same inequities it is supposed to alleviate.
The Impact of Bias Across Industries
Instances of bias in technology are evident across various sectors. Take facial recognition, for example. Studies have shown that this software misidentifies Black faces at disproportionately higher rates than White faces, leading to wrongful police stops and arrests. Similarly, automated hiring algorithms have filtered out applicants with traditionally Black names due to their training on historical hiring data riddled with discrimination. Financial algorithms, too, have denied loans to Black borrowers or offered them unfavorable terms, based not on individual creditworthiness but on zip codes that reflect historical inequalities. This bias does not emerge in a vacuum; it is a reflection of the data the systems are trained on.
Healthcare: A Microcosm of Implicit Bias
Healthcare is not exempt from these biases. For decades, medicine has perpetuated harmful myths about Black bodies. For example, Black patients were often told they had lower lung capacity, leading to results adjusted accordingly by medical devices. Alarmingly, until just recently, a common formula used to assess kidney function gave Black patients a higher score solely based on their race. This biased approach could delay the detection of kidney disease, resulting in treatment that was critical being postponed.
Moreover, myths persist in clinical settings as well. The dangerous misconception that Black individuals feel less pain has led to undertreatment and delayed care. These ingrained biases were not relics of the past but are embedded in current medical training and practices. Consequently, the data informing medical technology may be fundamentally flawed, magnifying the risk of biased outcomes in patient care.
Fear and Mistrust in the Black Community
These realities foster a climate of fear and mistrust within the Black community. Generational memories of medical discrimination—from higher maternal mortality rates to lower life expectancy—compound the apprehensions regarding contemporary healthcare practices. Adding the complexities of AI biases only deepens this mistrust, leading many to question the very systems designed to care for them.
As a physician, I recognize how vitally important it is that patients place their trust in the healthcare system during their most vulnerable moments. My experiences as a Black woman allow me to see how bias shapes interactions in often invisible ways—ways that are invisible to those who do not share the same lived experiences. Balancing this with my role as a mother, my thoughts frequently return to the systems that govern my children’s health and well-being. My position as a legislator calls for action against these systemic risks before they explode into widespread harm.
Legislative Action: Senate Bill 503
This concern drives my efforts in authoring Senate Bill (SB) 503. This vital piece of legislation seeks to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare, mandating that developers and users of AI systems must identify, mitigate, and continuously monitor the biased impacts of their outputs. The goal is to reduce racial and other disparities in clinical decision-making and patient care.
Currently under review in the State Assembly, SB 503 is not intended to stifle innovation; rather, it aims to create a framework that encourages it while ensuring that tools deployed in healthcare serve to aid patients rather than harm them.
The Critical Importance of Addressing Bias
The health and well-being of our families hinge on our willingness to confront these issues. It is not merely a question of technology or healthcare but a matter that directly affects lives, especially those in marginalized communities. Addressing these biases is imperative for fostering trust and safeguarding the future health of the Black community.
About the Author
Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D–San Diego) is a physician and public health advocate representing California’s 39th Senate District.
