Liwaiwai Liwaiwai
  • /
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Machine Learning
  • Robotics
  • Engineering
    • Architecture
    • Design
    • Software
    • Hybrid Cloud
    • Data
  • Learning
  • About
  • /
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Machine Learning
  • Robotics
  • Engineering
    • Architecture
    • Design
    • Software
    • Hybrid Cloud
    • Data
  • Learning
  • About
Liwaiwai Liwaiwai
  • /
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Machine Learning
  • Robotics
  • Engineering
    • Architecture
    • Design
    • Software
    • Hybrid Cloud
    • Data
  • Learning
  • About
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Machine Learning

Artificial Intelligence In Medicine Raises Legal And Ethical Concerns

  • September 7, 2019
  • admin

The use of artificial intelligence in medicine is generating great excitement and hope for treatment advances.

Scientists are working with artificial intelligence in hopes of being able to better detect cancer. www.shutterstock.com

AI generally refers to computers’ ability to mimic human intelligence and to learn. For example, by using machine learning, scientists are working to develop algorithms that will help them make decisions about cancer treatment. They hope that computers will be able to analyze radiological images and discern which cancerous tumors will respond well to chemotherapy and which will not.


Partner with liwaiwai.com
for your next big idea.
Let us know here.



From our partners:

CITI.IO :: Business. Institutions. Society. Global Political Economy.
CYBERPOGO.COM :: For the Arts, Sciences, and Technology.
DADAHACKS.COM :: Parenting For The Rest Of Us.
ZEDISTA.COM :: Entertainment. Sports. Culture. Escape.
TAKUMAKU.COM :: For The Hearth And Home.
ASTER.CLOUD :: From The Cloud And Beyond.
LIWAIWAI.COM :: Intelligence, Inside and Outside.
GLOBALCLOUDPLATFORMS.COM :: For The World's Computing Needs.
FIREGULAMAN.COM :: For The Fire In The Belly Of The Coder.
ASTERCASTER.COM :: Supra Astra. Beyond The Stars.
BARTDAY.COM :: Prosperity For Everyone.

But AI in medicine also raises significant legal and ethical challenges. Several of these are concerns about privacy, discrimination, psychological harm and the physician-patient relationship. In a forthcoming article, I argue that policymakers should establish a number of safeguards around AI, much as they did when genetic testing became commonplace.

Potential for discrimination

AI involves the analysis of very large amounts of data to discern patterns, which are then used to predict the likelihood of future occurrences. In medicine, the data sets can come from electronic health records and health insurance claims but also from several surprising sources. AI can draw upon purchasing records, income data, criminal records and even social media for information about an individual’s health.

The hope is that AI will be able to read radiological images more efficiently than a human. AP Photo/David Goldman

Researchers are already using AI to predict a multitude of medical conditions. These include heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cognitive decline, future opioid abuse and even suicide. As one example, Facebook employs an algorithm that makes suicide predictions based on posts with phrases such as “Are you okay?” paired with “Goodbye” and “Please don’t do this.”

This predictive capability of AI raises significant ethical concerns in health care. If AI generates predictions about your health, I believe that information could one day be included in your electronic health records.

Read More  ABB Robotics And Vyripharm To Automate Laboratory Testing

Anyone with access to your health records could then see predictions about cognitive decline or opioid abuse. Patients’ medical records are seen by dozens or even hundreds of clinicians and administrators in the course of medical treatment. Additionally, patients themselves often authorize others to access their records: for example, when they apply for employment or life insurance.

Data broker industry giants such as LexisNexis and Acxiom are also mining personal data and engaging in AI activities. They could then sell medical predictions to any interested third parties, including marketers, employers, lenders, life insurers and others. Because these businesses are not health care providers or insurers, the HIPAA Privacy Rule does not apply to them. Therefore, they do not have to ask patients for permission to obtain their information and can freely disclose it.

Such disclosures can lead to discrimination. Employers, for instance, are interested in workers who will be healthy and productive, with few absences and low medical costs. If they believe certain applicants will develop diseases in the future, they will likely reject them. Lenders, landlords, life insurers and others might likewise make adverse decisions about individuals based on AI predictions.

Lack of protections

The Americans with Disabilities Act does not prohibit discrimination based on future medical problems. It applies only to current and past ailments. In response to genetic testing, Congress enacted the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. This law prohibits employers and health insurers from considering genetic information and making decisions based on related assumptions about people’s future health conditions. No law imposes a similar prohibition with respect to nongenetic predictive data.

Read More  IBM And The Recording Academy® Deliver Artificial Intelligence-Powered Fan Experiences for the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards® Red Carpet And Artist Pages On GRAMMY.com

AI health prediction can also lead to psychological harm. For example, many people could be traumatized if they learn that they will likely suffer cognitive decline later in life. It is even possible that individuals will obtain health forecasts directly from commercial entities that bought their data. Imagine obtaining the news that you are at risk of dementia through an electronic advertisement urging you to buy memory-enhancing products.

When it comes to genetic testing, patients are advised to seek genetic counseling so that they can thoughtfully decide whether to be tested and better understand test results. By contrast, we do not have AI counselors who provide similar services to patients.

Yet another concern relates to the doctor-patient relationship. Will AI diminish the role of doctors? Will computers be the ones to make predictions, diagnoses and treatment suggestions, so that doctors simply implement the computers’ instructions? How will patients feel about their doctors if computers have a greater say in making medical determinations?

These concerns are exacerbated by the fact that AI predictions are far from infallible. Many factors can contribute to errors. If the data used to develop an algorithm are flawed – for instance, if they use medical records that contain errors – the algorithm’s output will be incorrect. Therefore, patients may suffer discrimination or psychological harm when in fact they are not at risk of the predicted ailments.

A call for caution

What can be done to protect the American public? I have argued in past work for the expansion of the HIPAA Privacy Rule so that it covers anyone who handles health information for business purposes. Privacy protections should apply not only to health care providers and insurers, but also to commercial enterprises. I have also argued that Congress should amend the Americans with Disabilities Act to prohibit discrimination based on forecasts of future diseases.

Read More  Internet Data Produce A Racist, Sexist Robot

Physicians who provide patients with AI predictions should ensure that they are thoroughly educated about the pros and cons of such forecasts. Experts should counsel patients about AI just as trained professionals do about genetic testing.

The prospect of AI can over-awe people. Yet, to ensure that AI truly promotes patient welfare, physicians, researchers and policymakers must recognize its risks and proceed with caution.

The Conversation

Sharona Hoffman, Professor of Health Law and Bioethics, Case Western Reserve University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


For enquiries, product placements, sponsorships, and collaborations, connect with us at [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you!

Our humans need coffee too! Your support is highly appreciated, thank you!

admin

Related Topics
  • Algorithms
  • Doctors
  • Health
  • Hospitals
  • Medicine
  • Patients
You May Also Like
OpenAI
View Post
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Platforms

How We Interact With Information: The New Era Of Search

  • September 28, 2023
View Post
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Engineering
  • Machine Learning
  • Platforms

Bring AI To Looker With The Machine Learning Accelerator

  • September 28, 2023
View Post
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Technology

Microsoft And Mercy Collaborate To Empower Clinicians To Transform Patient Care With Generative AI

  • September 27, 2023
View Post
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Machine Learning

Canonical releases Charmed MLFlow

  • September 26, 2023
View Post
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Technology

NASA’s Mars Rovers Could Inspire A More Ethical Future For AI

  • September 26, 2023
View Post
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Platforms

Oracle CloudWorld 2023: 6 Key Takeaways From The Big Annual Event

  • September 25, 2023
View Post
  • Artificial Intelligence

3 Ways AI Can Help Communities Adapt To Climate Change In Africa

  • September 25, 2023
Robotic Hand | Lights
View Post
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Technology

Nvidia H100 Tensor Core GPUs Come To Oracle Cloud

  • September 24, 2023
A Field Guide To A.I.
Navigate the complexities of Artificial Intelligence and unlock new perspectives in this must-have guide.
Now available in print and ebook.

charity-water



Stay Connected!
LATEST
  • OpenAI 1
    How We Interact With Information: The New Era Of Search
    • September 28, 2023
  • 2
    Bring AI To Looker With The Machine Learning Accelerator
    • September 28, 2023
  • 3
    3 Questions: A New PhD Program From The Center For Computational Science And Engineering
    • September 28, 2023
  • 4
    Microsoft And Mercy Collaborate To Empower Clinicians To Transform Patient Care With Generative AI
    • September 27, 2023
  • 5
    Canonical releases Charmed MLFlow
    • September 26, 2023
  • 6
    NASA’s Mars Rovers Could Inspire A More Ethical Future For AI
    • September 26, 2023
  • 7
    Oracle CloudWorld 2023: 6 Key Takeaways From The Big Annual Event
    • September 25, 2023
  • 8
    3 Ways AI Can Help Communities Adapt To Climate Change In Africa
    • September 25, 2023
  • Robotic Hand | Lights 9
    Nvidia H100 Tensor Core GPUs Come To Oracle Cloud
    • September 24, 2023
  • 10
    AI-Driven Tool Makes It Easy To Personalize 3D-Printable Models
    • September 22, 2023

about
About
Hello World!

We are liwaiwai.com. Created by programmers for programmers.

Our site aims to provide materials, guides, programming how-tos, and resources relating to artificial intelligence, machine learning and the likes.

We would like to hear from you.

If you have any questions, enquiries or would like to sponsor content, kindly reach out to us at:

[email protected]

Live long & prosper!
Most Popular
  • 1
    Huawei: Advancing a Flourishing AI Ecosystem Together
    • September 22, 2023
  • Coffee | Laptop | Notebook | Work 2
    First HP Work Relationship Index Shows Majority of People Worldwide Have an Unhealthy Relationship with Work
    • September 20, 2023
  • 3
    Huawei Connect 2023: Accelerating Intelligence For Shared Success
    • September 20, 2023
  • 4
    Applying Generative AI To Product Design With BigQuery DataFrames
    • September 21, 2023
  • 5
    Combining AI With A Trusted Data Approach On IBM Power To Fuel Business Outcomes
    • September 21, 2023
  • /
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Explore
  • About
  • Contact Us

Input your search keywords and press Enter.