Artificial intelligence (AI) can perform several important functions in the workplace. It can help double-check work for errors. It can streamline previously labor-intensive job obligations, such as data analysis. AI can even automate certain functions, freeing up highly skilled and educated workers to focus on more important tasks.
While there are many potential benefits associated with the development of medical AI software, there are also liability concerns and ethics considerations that employees and business leaders in the healthcare sector simply cannot overlook. What are some of the most significant concerns regarding the use of AI in the health industry?
AI is not infallible
People tend to assume that machines are more efficient or accurate than humans. However, AI software is only as effective as the human who programmed the software and the person using the program.
Individual medical professionals and the health care facilities that employ them could have liability for errors and oversights made by AI software. If a radiologist relies on software to evaluate imaging tests for signs of cancer and doesn’t perform a manual check, that professional or the hospital where they work may be liable if they fail to diagnose a patient because AI didn’t spot irregularities when assessing medical imaging test results.
Privacy issues
Medical records are subject to very strict federal privacy standards. Medical professionals typically need written releases to provide information about patients to one another or even to the family members of patients going through major emergencies.
AI software developers often rely on the routine sharing of data, and there may be reason to worry about outside parties gaining access to private health care records and other personal information about individual patients. Facilities and practitioners may ultimately be liable for privacy issues triggered by the software they elect to use in their practice of medicine.
Algorithmic bias
Bias among medical practitioners is a common issue that can compromise the standard of care at a facility. Bias can also potentially affect how software operates. Algorithmic bias is a known issue with many AI programs.
The bias of the person developing the software, limitations in the data already gathered and the views of the medical professionals using the software could result in diagnostic errors and medical oversights that have negative implications for individual patients. While AI may seem less biased, the reality is that algorithms can reinforce inherent biases and can negatively impact the quality of care that patients receive in some cases.
Medical professionals and business leaders should evaluate the risks thoroughly before establishing internal policies regarding the use of AI for medical care purposes. Recognizing the potential pitfalls of reliance on AI software can limit the likelihood of a lawsuit and unfavorable outcomes for patients who trust the care providers using AI software.