Beyond algorithms: Ethical implications of AI in healthcare

In the recent years, the abilities of artificial intelligence (AI) to augment those of clinicians have been repeatedly and emphatically demonstrated in many medical domains. However, the current state and nature of the technology have raised several concerns about its safety and ethicality. World Health Organization (WHO) has cautioned about the need to demonstrate evidence-based benefits before AI services are offered to patients as they may come with long-term risks. While AI brings immense possibilities, it is essential to address these ethical challenges to ensure its safe, reliable, fair, and trustworthy application in healthcare. This paper explores the challenges for AI in healthcare and discusses its ethical implications using the framework of the four core principles of modern bioethics.