The Health Pulse S2E5: Creating a Healthier World with Ethical AI

On this episode, Greg catches up colleague Reggie Townsend, director of the Data Ethics Practice at SAS. Recognizing the increasing market need around data ethics, SAS formed the practice to establish principles and processes for governing Artificial Intelligence (AI). The practice applies a human-centric approach to upholding principles such as transparency, accountability and inclusivity in data science. Townsend challenges his team to start by considering the impact of technology on the most vulnerable populations. Understanding bias plays an imperative role in AI ethics. For example, Black neighborhoods in the US, like the one where Townsend grew up in Chicago, are more likely to be food deserts. The people in those communities lack access to healthy food and have poorer health outcomes as a result. When evaluating health data, it is critical to understand the facts and historical context behind the data in order to deliver effective decisions and solutions that are free of bias. Looking forward, Townsend is hopeful that the ethical development and deployment of AI-related technology can lead to brighter futures for all people.