During the Covid-19 pandemic, tech startups emerged as important providers of pandemic intelligence, leveraging diverse data sources and advanced computational methods to advise public policy on disease spread and response strategies. This article presents a case study of two tech startups, Airfinity and BlueDot, situating their rise within the increasing private-sector influence in a domain traditionally dominated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its national public health agencies. It examines how these firms established epistemic authority through the integration of proprietary data, artificial intelligence and novel expertise, enhancing their scientific credibility and gaining access to key global and national policy arenas and public-sector contracts. The article discusses how the emergence of a commercial market for pandemic intelligence dilutes the WHO's authority within global disease surveillance and raises concerns about outsourcing essential public health insights to the private sector. Further, it explores how the business of pandemic intelligence transforms public health data into commercial products, challenging norms that posit equity and public purpose as basis for the digital transformation of the public health sphere. This analysis contributes to ongoing debates about the technology sector's expanding influence over public health and policy, highlighting the growing role of private power in global governance.
Policy Implications
- Scholars and policymakers need to critically examine the national and global governance implications of the emergence of a commercial market for public health and pandemic intelligence.
- The World Health Organization should thoughtfully evaluate the role of for-profit private entities in its Hub for Epidemic and Pandemic Intelligence, considering the terms of their involvement and the management of potential conflicts of interest.
- Frameworks and strategies for managing the digital transformation in health should provide clear guidance on how private-sector contributions can support essential public health values, particularly equity and the public good.
Photo by Markus Spiske