In this field review, 2022 Just Tech Fellow Kim Gallon examines the rise of generative artificial intelligence in the healthcare space and how some researchers and machine learning advocates back its use to strengthen health datasets and make them more diverse. Gallon traces the history of health data inequality in the United States and explores the ethical and equity implications of using artificial health data in health research.

On July 22–23, 2024, the SSRC’s Data Fluencies Project hosted a workshop called “Drilling Down to the Data: Navigating Data Politics at the Heart of AI Policy,” bringing together an interdisciplinary group of researchers, technologists, and practitioners to address crucial questions of data politics that concern AI policy, with the aim to bridge the gap between conversations in policy circles and the concrete effects of the technology in local communities.

Meet Jay Cunningham, one of our 2023–2024 Just Tech Fellows. He is a computer scientist and scholar dedicated to promoting responsibility and fairness in artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) systems, data science, and human-computer interaction (HCI). His work focuses on human-centered approaches to inclusive design, algorithmic & design justice, and technology public policy, in particular on advancing responsible design to foster more equitable automated speech recognition and language technology experiences for Black/ African American English speakers.

In this essay, Julian Posada argues that AI governance should not overlook, the relational, environmental, and political nature of this data-intensive technology.