The Human Cost of Flawed AI in Brazil’s Social Security
The push for digital transformation in government services promises efficiency, but for many vulnerable citizens in Brazil, it delivers frustration and exclusion. The story of Josélia de Brito, a former sugarcane worker, highlights the severe consequences when automated systems fail. She turned to the government’s mandatory AI-powered app, Meu INSS, to file for retirement benefits, only to have her claim instantly rejected. The reason given by the algorithm was a shocking error: it had misidentified her as a man. This case reveals a critical gap between the promise of technology and the reality of its implementation for those who need it most.
When Algorithms Deny Reality
De Brito’s struggle with the AI system was not new. For years, the 55-year-old had used the Meu INSS app to apply for sick pay to manage chronic illnesses developed from a lifetime of physical labor, including a herniated disc, scoliosis, and fibromyalgia. Despite her clear eligibility for social benefits, her claims were repeatedly denied due to minor errors flagged by the system, with little to no clear path for recourse. The retirement denial was simply the latest and most glaring failure in a long line of technological barriers. For de Brito, who is illiterate and depends on her daughter to navigate the digital application process, the constant rejections are more than just an inconvenience. “I have all the documents proving my health condition, proving everything, and the benefit still gets denied. It’s a humiliation,” she expressed.
The experience of citizens like Josélia de Brito serves as a stark warning about the deployment of artificial intelligence in critical public services. Her case demonstrates how algorithmic errors, compounded by a lack of accessible human oversight, can deny essential benefits to deserving individuals and deepen existing inequalities. While the goal of automation is to improve processes, these systems must be built with safeguards, accountability, and user accessibility at their core. Without these considerations, technology intended to serve the public can instead become a source of profound indignity and hardship.
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