The idea of micro-robots is about to make the transition from science fiction to science fact. But before we can take advantage of all that this new technology has to offer we will need to consider the various legal, ethical and societal concerns that this new technology can raise.
The practice of infecting human subjects with disease under controlled circumstances to better understand how the body reacts to a new treatment is as old as medical science itself. The reason why it is not common in India is because of ethical and legal concerns. If we can find our way past that this could be a useful approach.
We tend to think of technology as either “good” nor “bad” based on the outcomes it has. This is futile as in most instances any harms that may be caused by technology is on account of how it is used and by whom.
We have, for most of our existence as a nation, accepted the governance frameworks that have already been implemented elsewhere in the world. With digital public infrastructure India is, perhaps for the first time, making the rules. It is time for us to stop being rule-takers and assume the role of rule-makers.
When healthcare is powered by artificial intelligence and smart devices, we must ensure that all of humanity stands to benefit. We need open, transparent and customisable algorithms in our hardware.
