Artificial Intelligence and Racial Bias in Healthcare to Be Discussed at Online Summit

An online summit to be held in Detroit will put the impact of artificial intelligence on decision-making processes in healthcare and racial bias on the table.

Organized in partnership with The Collaborative to End Race-Based Medicine-Detroit and the Wayne State University Office of Inclusive Excellence, an online summit titled "Held to the Light: Race, Code & Consequence in the Age of AI" will take place on October 29, 2026. Scheduled from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM, the event will discuss the role of artificial intelligence and elements of bias in healthcare and public health.

Dr. Ijeoma Nnodim Opara, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and co-chair of the collaboration, drew attention to the potential of artificial intelligence to increase biases in decision-making processes alongside its positive aspects. Opara stated that these biases embedded in the codes of clinical algorithms can lead to poor health outcomes.

The collaboration, formerly known as the Wayne State University School of Medicine Detroit End Race-Based Medicine Task Force, aims to end race-based medicine, medical education, and research. The organization was established following the severity of COVID-19 deaths and the spread of misinformation in African American and Black communities.