Orly Lobel

"[Lobel] agrees with those who fear artificial intelligence can be biased. But, in a brilliant act of intellectual jiu-jitsu, she argues that the answer is not to slow the technology, but to speed it up to solve those defects and achieve social progress." – The Economist (Best Books of 2022) "What’s right with technology and artificial intelligence? Outside Silicon Valley, few people ask the question that way. Lobel, Warren Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of San Diego, does, beginning by recounting her daughter Elinor’s type 1 diabetes — and the smartphone apps that help safely track her blood-sugar level and insulin pump. She then crafts a sweeping call for designing technology and AI with quality and social benefit in mind." – Harvard Magazine "Legal scholar Orly Lobel's The Equality Machine is a masterful analysis of the many 'inequitable dimensions of digital existence.' The book consists of 10 substantive chapters wherein Lobel expertly describes both the opportunities and the discrimination engendered by new artificial technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI)... 'Progress supersedes perfection,' insists Lobel. Rather than perpetuating the idea that technology must meet unattainable measures of fairness before we can move forward, she directs us to leverage the imperfect technologies we already have to make the world a better place." – Science "An enthusiastic yet measured argument for technology’s potential to promote equality across many facets of culture and industry" and a "A compelling, hopeful, potentially divisive look at the future of technology and its ability to positively shape human life." – Kirkus Reviews "Lobel sets out to counter the conventional wisdom that technologies like AI offer more threats than benefits. The book traces a range of examples where the principled and ethical use of big data analysis and AI are being utilized for progressive aims... Some of the most powerful examples of the potential for digital technologies to improve well-being described in The Equality Machine come from the domain of health and health care. Lobel describes the efforts of pioneering physicians and researchers to pair clinicians with algorithms for earlier diagnosis and individualized treatments." – Inside Higher Ed