Research on intellectual property rights and legal liability definition of artificial intelligence-assisted pediatric

Zhijun Yang1, Wensi Yang2

  • 1Law School of Shanxi University, Shanxi, Taiyuan, China.

Insights

Pediatric AI development is hindered by unclear ownership and responsibility, leading to disputes, especially in young children. Clarifying roles for AI algorithms and hospital operations can improve efficiency and reduce litigation.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Artificial Intelligence
  • Pediatric Healthcare
  • Legal and Ethical Frameworks in Technology

Background:

  • Children represent a vulnerable population with unique healthcare needs due to their immature physiological development.
  • Pediatric Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers potential solutions to medical resource shortages but faces challenges in standardized development.
  • Unclear definitions of ownership and responsibility are significant barriers to the widespread adoption and standardization of pediatric AI.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the current landscape of ownership and responsibility in pediatric AI.
  • To identify the key factors contributing to medical disputes involving pediatric AI.
  • To propose a framework for clarifying rights and responsibilities to promote the compliant application of AI in pediatric healthcare.

Main Methods:

  • A mixed-method approach combining bibliometrics, case analysis of medical disputes, and Delphi expert consultation.
  • Analysis of 89 hospital AI diagnosis documents, 17 medical dispute cases, and relevant legislation from 2021-2025.
  • Empirical regression and age-stratified subgroup analysis were employed, with statistical conclusions limited to correlation.

Main Results:

  • A significant portion of AI documents (73.0%) lack clear intellectual property ownership clauses, and many algorithms (47.1%) have low interpretability (<0.8).
  • Medical disputes involving AI disproportionately affect infants (0-3 years) (64.7%), with high severity of adverse outcomes.
  • Algorithm defects and hospital negligence were primary causes of misdiagnosis (41.2% each), leading to a high responsibility mismatch rate (64.7%).

Conclusions:

  • Clear delineation of responsibilities is crucial: enterprises for algorithms, hospitals for operation, balancing fairness and privacy.
  • Implementing mechanisms for algorithm description, IP evaluation, and insurance can foster compliant use of AI in hospitals.
  • Findings are based on single-center data and require multi-center validation for broader generalizability.
Abstract