The Perpetuation and Amplification of Inequalities in Technological Design

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This chapter explores how certain innovations can reinforce and amplify existing biases and inequalities in society, using examples such as the inaccuracy of pulse oximeters for black patients. It emphasizes the importance of addressing these concerns throughout the innovation process and challenges the notion that new technologies are always an improvement.

The United States is justifiably proud of the accomplishments of its taxpayer-funded biomedical innovation system. But these innovations don’t benefit all Americans equally, which means, among other things, that the richest live 10 to 15 years longer than the very poor. In this episode we speak with Shobita Parthasarathy, a professor at the University of Michigan and director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program. Parthasarathy explains how to think differently about the country’s innovation system—by removing societal bias, rethinking patents, and ensuring equitable access to medical advances—to allow all Americans to thrive.

Read Shobita Parthasarathy’s article, Innovation as a Force for Equity.

Explore more of Parthasarathy’s work by visiting her website.

Check out Parthasarathy’s podcast, The Received Wisdom, a podcast about how to realize the potential of science and technology by challenging the received wisdom.

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