• Abstract

    Between Data and Decisions: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Building Public Health

    Published date: 10/06/2026

    This article critically examines the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in shaping and implementing public health policies in Brazil, with emphasis on the ethical, social, and technical risks and opportunities linked to algorithmic systems in unequal contexts. Through a systematic review of interdisciplinary literature—spanning public health, computer science, algorithmic ethics, and public policy—we analyze biases embedded in AI systems trained on historically unbalanced data regarding race, gender, class, and healthcare access. Findings indicate that while AI can enhance diagnostics, resource allocation, and epidemiological surveillance, its deployment without democratic governance and anti-racist, feminist frameworks tends to reproduce and exacerbate structural inequities. We conclude that urgent regulatory frameworks, community participation from marginalized groups in technology design, and critical training for health managers and professionals are essential for the ethical and equitable use of AI in public health.

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Revista Brasileira de Tecnologias Sociais

The Brazilian Journal of Social Technologies is a Qualis B1 publication, according to the Qualis Periódicos CAPES 2017-2020 classification.

The Brazilian Journal of Social Technologies aims to disseminate scientific knowledge through a biannual publication, which is characterized by multithematic and interdisciplinary content aimed, preferably, at the dissemination of work developed by the country's Professional Master's Degrees, in the form of products or processes that can be characterized as Social Technologies. Currently the editors are professors Carlos Roberto Praxedes dos Santos (Public Policy Management) and Graziela Liebel (Health and Work Management).

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