Artificial Intelligence in Health Care: Ethical Challenges

Artificial intelligence (AI) has given powerful models for diagnosis, using huge patient data with increased precision in a dynamic manner. It poses ethical challenges in terms of patient safety, privacy, responsibility for decisions taken and confidentiality. These machine based learning ‘black boxes’ may seriously jeopardize the traditional Hippocratic ethical principles of doctor patient relationship. It is essential for politicians, policy makers, legislators and regulatory bodies to meet out ethical challenges pertaining to the use of AI in healthcare if opportunities offered by the new technology can be used in benefit of patient without compromising ethical medical practice. The paper enumerates ethical challenges for this emerging machine based decision making.