Envisioning a future where health care tech leaves some behind
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries, its profound impact on healthcare raises critical questions about accessibility and equity. A recent thought experiment from MIT’s prestigious Envisioning the Future of Computing Prize directly confronts this dilemma, asking: Will the potent combination of life-changing AI-driven healthcare and profit-driven subscription models inadvertently alienate the most vulnerable patients?
For the third consecutive year, the MIT Envisioning the Future of Computing Prize invited students to articulate, in 3,000 words or fewer, how advancements in computing could profoundly shape human society—for better or worse. This year’s grand prize winner, Annaliese Meyer, a PhD candidate in the MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography and Applied Ocean Science and Engineering, tackled this complex issue head-on.
Inspired by contemporary research into the significant influence of microbiomes on overall health, Meyer conceptualized “B-Bots” — synthetic bacterial mimics engineered to regulate gut biomes and activated by Bluetooth technology. Her winning paper, titled “(Pre/Sub)scribe,” takes the form of speculative fiction, chronicling the journey of this revolutionary health-care technology from the perspectives of both its creator and a user named Briar.
Initially, B-Bots are celebrated for their transformative effects, helping users manage chronic conditions like acid reflux and irritable bowel syndrome, alongside addressing vitamin deficiencies. However, Meyer introduces a pivotal ethical challenge: the transition to a subscription-based pay model for B-Bots. This strategic narrative choice, Meyer explains, was “to hopefully make clear that in a for-profit health-care system, even medical advances that would, in theory, be revolutionary for human health can end up causing more harm than good for the many people on the losing side of the massive wealth disparity in modern society.” Meyer emphasized that these views are her own and do not represent the official stances of her affiliated institutions.
Meyer’s perspective is informed by her personal experiences as a Canadian, allowing her to draw comparisons between the healthcare systems in the United States and Canada. She notably referenced her mother’s recent cancer treatments in British Columbia, highlighting the stark differences in cost and coverage compared to the U.S. system.
Beyond its cautionary tale of health equity, Meyer’s paper also aims to convey a crucial scientific message regarding the intricate complexity of gut microbiomes. Drawing from her thesis work in ocean metaproteomics, Meyer reflects, “I think a lot about when and why microbes produce different proteins to adapt to environmental changes, and how that depends on the rest of the microbial community and the exchange of metabolic products between organisms.”
A lifelong passion for writing, which she notes often preceded her childhood aspiration to be a scientist, fueled Meyer’s engagement with the contest. Although time constraints prevented her participation in the previous year, this year’s competition offered a unique opportunity to diversify her writing while remaining immersed in her scientific interests. The essay and presentation preparation proved immensely rewarding for Meyer, who secured the $10,000 grand prize. She valued the chance to explore a novel topic area, pushing her boundaries as both a writer and a scientist, and particularly enjoyed the connections made with peers and faculty from diverse fields at the presentation dinner.
The Envisioning the Future of Computing Prize is co-sponsored by the Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing (SERC), a cross-cutting initiative of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing and the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS), with vital support from MAC3 Philanthropies. This year, the contest garnered 65 submissions from a wide array of undergraduate and graduate students across various disciplines, including brain and cognitive sciences, economics, electrical engineering and computer science, physics, and anthropology.
Launched in 2023 by Caspar Hare, associate dean of SERC and professor of philosophy, the prize aims to encourage MIT students to contemplate the broader societal implications of their work in computing-related technologies. Hare affirmed that the prize will continue to be a vital initiative for the MIT community, with plans to enhance next year’s contest by offering more workshops and guidance to participants. “Everyone is excited to continue this for as long as it remains relevant, which could be forever,” Hare stated, envisioning the prize as a historical record of evolving perceptions of computing technology at MIT.
The selection process involved a rigorous two-stage evaluation. All essays were reviewed anonymously by a committee of faculty members from the college, SHASS, and the Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Three finalists were chosen for their articulate, thorough, grounded, imaginative, and inspiring papers. In early May, a live awards ceremony was held, where finalists delivered 20-minute presentations and engaged in a Q&A session with an audience of nearly 140 MIT community members, family, and friends. The final winner was determined by a score combining 75 percent from their essay and 25 percent from their presentation.
This year’s distinguished judging panel included Marzyeh Ghassemi, Caspar Hare, Jason Jackson, Brad Skow, Armando Solar-Lezama, and Nikos Trichakis. In addition to Annaliese Meyer’s grand prize, two runners-up each received $5,000: Martin Staadecker, for his essay on a fictional token-based system to track fossil fuels, and Juan Santoyo, for his short story about a field-deployed AI designed to support the mental health of soldiers. Eight honorable mentions were also recognized, each receiving a cash prize of $1,000.
