Artificial intelligence for good health: a scoping review of the ethics literature
Abstract Background Artificial intelligence (AI) has been described as the “fourth industrial revolution” with transformative and global implications, including in healthcare, public health, and global health. AI approaches hold promise for improving health systems worldwide, as well as individual a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2021-02-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Ethics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-021-00577-8 |
| _version_ | 1819283773311680512 |
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| author | Kathleen Murphy Erica Di Ruggiero Ross Upshur Donald J. Willison Neha Malhotra Jia Ce Cai Nakul Malhotra Vincci Lui Jennifer Gibson |
| author_facet | Kathleen Murphy Erica Di Ruggiero Ross Upshur Donald J. Willison Neha Malhotra Jia Ce Cai Nakul Malhotra Vincci Lui Jennifer Gibson |
| author_sort | Kathleen Murphy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Artificial intelligence (AI) has been described as the “fourth industrial revolution” with transformative and global implications, including in healthcare, public health, and global health. AI approaches hold promise for improving health systems worldwide, as well as individual and population health outcomes. While AI may have potential for advancing health equity within and between countries, we must consider the ethical implications of its deployment in order to mitigate its potential harms, particularly for the most vulnerable. This scoping review addresses the following question: What ethical issues have been identified in relation to AI in the field of health, including from a global health perspective? Methods Eight electronic databases were searched for peer reviewed and grey literature published before April 2018 using the concepts of health, ethics, and AI, and their related terms. Records were independently screened by two reviewers and were included if they reported on AI in relation to health and ethics and were written in the English language. Data was charted on a piloted data charting form, and a descriptive and thematic analysis was performed. Results Upon reviewing 12,722 articles, 103 met the predetermined inclusion criteria. The literature was primarily focused on the ethics of AI in health care, particularly on carer robots, diagnostics, and precision medicine, but was largely silent on ethics of AI in public and population health. The literature highlighted a number of common ethical concerns related to privacy, trust, accountability and responsibility, and bias. Largely missing from the literature was the ethics of AI in global health, particularly in the context of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Conclusions The ethical issues surrounding AI in the field of health are both vast and complex. While AI holds the potential to improve health and health systems, our analysis suggests that its introduction should be approached with cautious optimism. The dearth of literature on the ethics of AI within LMICs, as well as in public health, also points to a critical need for further research into the ethical implications of AI within both global and public health, to ensure that its development and implementation is ethical for everyone, everywhere. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-24T01:36:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fb04b1aede37474496b875a8e6736197 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6939 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-24T01:36:48Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Ethics |
| spelling | doaj.art-fb04b1aede37474496b875a8e67361972022-12-21T17:22:10ZengBMCBMC Medical Ethics1472-69392021-02-0122111710.1186/s12910-021-00577-8Artificial intelligence for good health: a scoping review of the ethics literatureKathleen Murphy0Erica Di Ruggiero1Ross Upshur2Donald J. Willison3Neha Malhotra4Jia Ce Cai5Nakul Malhotra6Vincci Lui7Jennifer Gibson8Joint Centre for Bioethics, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of TorontoOffice of Global Health Education and Training, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of TorontoDivision of Clinical Public Health, Dalla Lana School of Public HealthInstitute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public, Health Sciences Building, Health University of TorontoJoint Centre for Bioethics, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of TorontoJoint Centre for Bioethics, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of TorontoJoint Centre for Bioethics, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of TorontoGerstein Science Information Centre, University of TorontoJoint Centre for Bioethics, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of TorontoAbstract Background Artificial intelligence (AI) has been described as the “fourth industrial revolution” with transformative and global implications, including in healthcare, public health, and global health. AI approaches hold promise for improving health systems worldwide, as well as individual and population health outcomes. While AI may have potential for advancing health equity within and between countries, we must consider the ethical implications of its deployment in order to mitigate its potential harms, particularly for the most vulnerable. This scoping review addresses the following question: What ethical issues have been identified in relation to AI in the field of health, including from a global health perspective? Methods Eight electronic databases were searched for peer reviewed and grey literature published before April 2018 using the concepts of health, ethics, and AI, and their related terms. Records were independently screened by two reviewers and were included if they reported on AI in relation to health and ethics and were written in the English language. Data was charted on a piloted data charting form, and a descriptive and thematic analysis was performed. Results Upon reviewing 12,722 articles, 103 met the predetermined inclusion criteria. The literature was primarily focused on the ethics of AI in health care, particularly on carer robots, diagnostics, and precision medicine, but was largely silent on ethics of AI in public and population health. The literature highlighted a number of common ethical concerns related to privacy, trust, accountability and responsibility, and bias. Largely missing from the literature was the ethics of AI in global health, particularly in the context of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Conclusions The ethical issues surrounding AI in the field of health are both vast and complex. While AI holds the potential to improve health and health systems, our analysis suggests that its introduction should be approached with cautious optimism. The dearth of literature on the ethics of AI within LMICs, as well as in public health, also points to a critical need for further research into the ethical implications of AI within both global and public health, to ensure that its development and implementation is ethical for everyone, everywhere.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-021-00577-8Artificial intelligenceEthicsHealth carePublic and population healthGlobal health |
| spellingShingle | Kathleen Murphy Erica Di Ruggiero Ross Upshur Donald J. Willison Neha Malhotra Jia Ce Cai Nakul Malhotra Vincci Lui Jennifer Gibson Artificial intelligence for good health: a scoping review of the ethics literature BMC Medical Ethics Artificial intelligence Ethics Health care Public and population health Global health |
| title | Artificial intelligence for good health: a scoping review of the ethics literature |
| title_full | Artificial intelligence for good health: a scoping review of the ethics literature |
| title_fullStr | Artificial intelligence for good health: a scoping review of the ethics literature |
| title_full_unstemmed | Artificial intelligence for good health: a scoping review of the ethics literature |
| title_short | Artificial intelligence for good health: a scoping review of the ethics literature |
| title_sort | artificial intelligence for good health a scoping review of the ethics literature |
| topic | Artificial intelligence Ethics Health care Public and population health Global health |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-021-00577-8 |
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