Concerns over biased algorithms grow as computers make more decisions A new report suggests ways to improve the technology and its accountability. Listen - 06:06 Technology is increasingly taking the place of humans in making decisions. Getty Images When the US started distributing COVID-19 vaccines late last year, an essential question emerged: Who should get priority access to the shots? Many medical facilities and health officials decided to first vaccinate workers, including nurses and janitors, who came into close contact with infected people. Stanford Medicine, part of one of the country's top universities, instead built an algorithm to determine the order.