Recently, Shobita Parthasarathy appeared on the Issues in Science and Technology podcast, The Ongoing Transformation, to discuss her article, "Innovation as a Force for Equity."
"As someone who is dedicated to the project of equity and justice in the world, I don’t think we talk enough about what the responsibility is in science and technology and science and technology policy. So I wanted to think really hard about that," Parthasarathy, professor of public policy and director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy program, said on the podcast.
Parthasarathy's article discusses how innovation in science and technology and its benefits are not distributed equally.
"But innovation isn’t benefiting everyone, and sometimes it amplifies inequality. Whether the internet or insulin, many people in the United States lack access to crucial innovations," she writes. "Meanwhile, machine learning algorithms and many other technologies reflect and reproduce social biases, including racial biases. Better public policies, however, can help to address these problems and ensure a more equitable and just twenty-first century."
Hear the podcast and read Parthasarathy's article:
- Episode 9: Maximizing the Good of Innovation, Issues in Science and Technology - The Ongoing Transformation, March 1, 2022
- Innovation as a Force for Equity, Issues in Science and Technology, Winter 2022
