Disruptive technologies: Which way will they go?

Disruptive technologies have the potential to make improvements regarding both disparities and discrimination, according to Professor Nicolas Terry from the University of Indiana.

In his key note address at the University of Manchester’s healthcare disparities event, Professor Terry also warned that the opposite could occur in that it may benefit for the affluent and the healthy.

Professor Terry envisaged that Robotic Process Automation (RPA) will replace humans but only in the repetitive tasks, but he said it can’t be overestimated the scale of change of which AI is being developed in healthcare.

“RPA will step in to replace humans in repetitive, routine tasks, especially when high levels of replication are required.

“Routine processes are among the lowest hanging fruit for this type of technology substitution.

“When not replacing humans, AI will augment their skill and hopefully increase their productivity when reducing costs.”

Professor Terry highlighted the demographics likely to be adversely affected and misrepresented when it comes to developing new technology.

“In disruptive healthcare, persons of colour, women and other underrepresented in datasets are of great risk of inequity, disparities and discrimination. Even when disruptive technologies can be delivered equally; they may include flaws, existing biases and may perpetuate existing disparities.”

The presentation also cited that certain technologies and innovations are examples of the ‘overconsumption’ of luxury goods from the sector such as wearables, while Professor Terry used a quote from Melinda Gates from the Gates Foundation in an interview with The New York Times Magazine:

“I would also love to see more tech innovation on behalf of the world. Let’s create the next thing that tracks my dog? That’s fun and nice but people are dying.

“We need to stop investing in the third Fitbit for the 50-year-old upper class person and start innovating for persons who have common diseases and conditions but live in communities with low access to care.”

He highlighted that healthcare disparities among the vulnerable such as the poor and disabled, citing the Social Market Foundation’s call for the NHS to provide some of the technologies free of charge.

The question of regulation follows continuous innovation with Professor Terry suggesting the sector is under regulated in the places where people are most exposed to technology. He indicated it may have been a culture that has developed over the past couple of decades – citing a ‘let’s wait and see’ approach from Bill Clinton’s US Presidency.

“A lot of challenges are made to any more regulation, particularly in the drug and device field, by saying that will stop innovation. We’ve seen, for example, in the last 24 to 36 months, a dramatic increase in the amount of devices that have been approved for sale by the FDA compared to previous trends.”