Without Small Data, AI in Health Care Contributes to Disparities

Several years ago, I attended an international health care conference, eagerly awaiting the keynote speaker’s talk about a diabetes intervention that targeted people in lower socioeconomic groups of the U.S. He noted how an AI tool enabled researchers and physicians to use pattern recognition to better plan treatments for people with diabetes.

The speaker described the study, the ideas behind it and the methods and results. He also described the typical person who was part of the project: a 55-year-old Black female with a 7th to 8th grade reading level and a body mass index suggesting…