California reparations panel warns of 'racially biased' medical AI, calls for legislative action

Doctors believe Artificial Intelligence is now saving lives, after a major advancement in breast cancer screenings. A.I. is detecting early signs of the disease, in some cases years before doctors would find the cancer on a traditional scan. California's reparations task force is recommending as part of its set of proposals to make amends for slavery and anti-Black racism that state lawmakers address what it calls "racially biased" artificial intelligence used in health care. The task force, created by state legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2020, formally approved last weekend its final recommendations to the California Legislature, which will decide whether to enact the measures and send them to the governor's desk to be signed into law. The recommendations include several proposals related to health care, including some concerning medical artificial intelligence (AI), which the task force describes as "racially biased" and contributing to alleged systemic racism against Black Californians.