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Johns Hopkins University | AS.150.313

Technology, Democracy, and Social Justice

3.0

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This course will consider healthcare technologies through the lens of political values: democracy and social justice. At a broad level, we will ask of these technologies: Who should decide on their design and use when the experts don’t resemble the public and the public lacks expertise? How can we provide broad access to the benefits of these new technologies without exposing vulnerable people to further risk and unfairness? More narrowly, the course will focus on four technologies that affect healthcare: anti-malarial “gene drive” mosquitoes, medical AI, genomic data collection, and social media. Gene drives hold the promise of modifying mosquitoes to prevent the spread of infectious disease, but they also expose people in lower-income countries to unanticipated risks. Artificial intelligence and genomic data can deliver scarce medical resources to those who need it most and tailor it to minorities based on their precise characteristics. But they can also exacerbate existing unfairness while exposing minorities to risks of further discrimination and surveillance. Social media has a similar potential to deliver crucial health data, especially in a pandemic. But it also promotes the spread of misinformation among the populations most in need of help. This course will consider how we can balance the benefits and risks of these novel technologies and who gets to decide that balance.

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