The Ethics of AI in Biomedical Research, Patient Care and Public Health

Abstract

This chapter focuses on ethical issues raised by the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the do-main of health. In particular we discuss specific issues in biomedical research, healthcare provision and public health. We devote particular attention to ethical concerns about safety and evidence standards in biomedical AI; to informed consent and the impact of automation on both professional caregivers and patients; to fairness and discrimination in algorithmic decision making on treatment and disease prevention for individuals and populations; to equity and social justice in the distribution of AI-driven health care and public health. We argue that the litany of ethical challenges that AI in medicine raises cannot be addressed sufficiently by current regulatory and ethical frameworks. We thus propose relevant governance approaches that can help address this gap.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence, machine learning, algorithms, ethics, medicine, biomedical research, public health, bioethics, medical ethics, governance