26 Mar 2024 | Julian Savulescu, PhD, Alberto Giubilini, PhD, Robert Vandersluis, MA, Abhishek Mishra, MA
This article reviews the ethical issues surrounding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine, focusing on trust, responsibility, discrimination, privacy, autonomy, and potential benefits and harms. The authors argue that while AI has the potential to revolutionize healthcare, it is crucial to ensure ethical oversight in its design, development, and implementation. They discuss specific case examples, such as a breast cancer algorithm and Google's DermAssist app, to illustrate the risks and potential harms of AI in medicine, including the perpetuation of injustice and inequality, distortion of the doctor-patient relationship, and undermining of patient autonomy. The article also explores ethical principles and methods for addressing these issues, emphasizing the need for explicit values and justifications in AI systems. It concludes by highlighting the importance of human involvement in the use of AI, the need for regulatory frameworks, and the potential benefits of AI in promoting justice and improving medical decision-making.This article reviews the ethical issues surrounding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine, focusing on trust, responsibility, discrimination, privacy, autonomy, and potential benefits and harms. The authors argue that while AI has the potential to revolutionize healthcare, it is crucial to ensure ethical oversight in its design, development, and implementation. They discuss specific case examples, such as a breast cancer algorithm and Google's DermAssist app, to illustrate the risks and potential harms of AI in medicine, including the perpetuation of injustice and inequality, distortion of the doctor-patient relationship, and undermining of patient autonomy. The article also explores ethical principles and methods for addressing these issues, emphasizing the need for explicit values and justifications in AI systems. It concludes by highlighting the importance of human involvement in the use of AI, the need for regulatory frameworks, and the potential benefits of AI in promoting justice and improving medical decision-making.