If Machines Exceed Us: Health Care at an Inflection Point

AbstractWhile artificial general intelligence (AGI) and artificial superintelligence (ASI) remain speculative, the possibility of capabilities that meet or surpass expert levels in areas such as treatment planning, clinical reasoning, and cognitive empathy merits consideration and debate in anticipation of the day when these capabilities become viable. Current ethical debates about AI often center on immediate concerns like data bias, but the progression toward AGI and ASI presents a profound and novel challenge: these systems might develop ethical frameworks that fundamentally differ from human-derived ethics. Planning for them must anticipate these changes, ensuring that their ethical paradigms uphold human values. Given the transformative potential of AGI and ASI, a multidisciplinary dialogue among medical professionals, policy makers, and technology experts is essential to prepare for these advancements.