Scale Force: Microsoft’s Dr. David Rhew on Responsible AI, Oculomics & the Future of Care

In this final episode of Season 3 of Tech It to the Limit, hosts Sarah Harper and Elliott Wilson go global and get grounded with a very special guest. After sharing travel tales from Germany and the HLTH conference, Sarah and Elliott debut their new game, “Trust-O-Meter,” rating real-world health tech scandals and solutions on a scale from “hospital stairwell cell signal” to “grandma’s green bean casserole.”

Then, they sit down with Dr. David Rhew, Global Chief Medical Officer at Microsoft, for a wide-ranging, surprisingly personal conversation on everything from his pivot from academia to industry ( a VA grant pushed him out) to the future of oculomics, voice biomarkers, and responsible AI. Dr. Rhew breaks down the three layers of bias, explains why implementation is everything, and doesn’t shy away from the hard truth about AI and the future of the healthcare workforce. It’s a deep, funny, and profoundly human conversation to close out the season.

The episode wraps with Wise Nugs and a final health tech haiku, leaving listeners hopeful and ready for Season 4.

Key Takeaways

• Trust needs humans in the loop :AI earns credibility when it supports clinical workflows, not replaces them.

• Bias hides in plain sight :Data, model design, and deployment all carry bias. Responsible AI means addressing all three.

• Implementation eats innovation for breakfast: Technology does not change healthcare; adoption and usability do.

• Your eyes and voice are the new vital signs :Oculomics and voice biomarkers are turning everyday signals into early detection tools.

• Equity must be built in, not bolted on:“Neutral AI” does not exist. Fairness and transparency have to be engineered from the start.

• Automation is not the enemy; stagnation is :AI will replace tasks, not purpose. The key is reskilling and redefining human work.

In this episode:

• [00:00:13] Welcome to the season 3 finale
• [00:01:19] Host travel log
• [00:05:24] Game debut: Trust-o-meter
• [00:22:01] Interview: Dr. David Rhew
• [00:23:34] Dad jokes and Korean BBQ regrets
• [00:25:27] From white coat to cloud
• [00:30:52] Bridging the hype-reality gap
• [00:34:50] Oculomics: The 2-minute eye scan
• [00:38:02] The DMA of bias
• [00:45:27] The TRAIN consortium
• [00:48:45] Cloud consolidation and data stewardship
• [00:58:29] Call to action: Operationalizing trust
• [01:05:32] Spicy nugs: Key takeaways
• [01:14:09] Health tech haiku and sign-off

Resources:

Tech It To The Limit Podcast

• Website
• Apple Podcast

Dr. David Rhew

• LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-rhew-m-d-1832764/

Sarah Harper

• LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahbethharper

Elliott Wilson

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewelliottwilson