Ethics of Using and Sharing Clinical Imaging Data for Artificial Intelligence: A Proposed Framework

Area of Science:

• Bioethics
• Health Informatics
• Artificial Intelligence Ethics

Background:

• Clinical data's secondary use for AI development raises ethical questions.
• Existing frameworks emphasize a moral obligation to improve healthcare systems.
• The concept of data ownership in healthcare is debated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose an ethical framework for the use and sharing of clinical data in AI development.
• To extend existing ethical obligations to the secondary use of clinical data.
• To define responsibilities for data stewards in managing clinical data for AI.

Main Methods:

• Philosophical analysis of data use and stewardship.
• Extension of Faden et al.'s (2013) framework on contributing to healthcare improvement.
• Proposal of a data stewardship model with fiduciary responsibilities.

Main Results:

• Clinical data, after its primary use for care, should be treated as a public good.
• Individuals and entities accessing clinical data are proposed as data stewards.
• Ethical guidelines suggest patient consent may not be required for secondary AI use if costly, provided safeguards exist.

Conclusions:

• Clinical data is not owned but is a resource with obligations for societal benefit.
• Data stewards must prioritize patient privacy and public benefit for AI development.
• The framework discourages the commercialization of clinical data through exclusive agreements.