Corfmat, M., Martineau, J. T., & Régis, C. (2025).
BMC Med Ethics 26, 4
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-024-01158-1
Abstract
Background
Considering the disruptive potential of AI technology, its current and future impact in healthcare, as well as healthcare professionals’ lack of training in how to use it, the paper summarizes how to approach the challenges of AI from an ethical and legal perspective. It concludes with suggestions for improvements to help healthcare professionals better navigate the AI wave.
Methods
We analyzed the literature that specifically discusses ethics and law related to the development and implementation of AI in healthcare as well as relevant normative documents that pertain to both ethical and legal issues. After such analysis, we created categories regrouping the most frequently cited and discussed ethical and legal issues. We then proposed a breakdown within such categories that emphasizes the different - yet often interconnecting - ways in which ethics and law are approached for each category of issues. Finally, we identified several key ideas for healthcare professionals and organizations to better integrate ethics and law into their practices.
Results
We identified six categories of issues related to AI development and implementation in healthcare: (1) privacy; (2) individual autonomy; (3) bias; (4) responsibility and liability; (5) evaluation and oversight; and (6) work, professions and the job market. While each one raises different questions depending on perspective, we propose three main legal and ethical priorities: education and training of healthcare professionals, offering support and guidance throughout the use of AI systems, and integrating the necessary ethical and legal reflection at the heart of the AI tools themselves.
Conclusions
By highlighting the main ethical and legal issues involved in the development and implementation of AI technologies in healthcare, we illustrate their profound effects on professionals as well as their relationship with patients and other organizations in the healthcare sector. We must be able to identify AI technologies in medical practices and distinguish them by their nature so we can better react and respond to them. Healthcare professionals need to work closely with ethicists and lawyers involved in the healthcare system, or the development of reliable and trusted AI will be jeopardized.
Here are some thoughts:
This article explores the ethical and legal challenges surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. The authors identify six critical categories of issues: privacy, individual autonomy, bias, responsibility and liability, evaluation and oversight, as well as work and professional impacts.
The research highlights that AI is fundamentally different from previous medical technologies due to its disruptive potential and ability to perform autonomous learning and decision-making. While AI promises significant improvements in areas like biomedical research, precision medicine, and healthcare efficiency, there remains a significant gap between AI system development and practical implementation in healthcare settings.
The authors emphasize that healthcare professionals often lack comprehensive knowledge about AI technologies and their implications. They argue that understanding the nuanced differences between legal and ethical frameworks is crucial for responsible AI integration. Legal rules represent minimal mandatory requirements, while ethical considerations encourage deeper reflection on appropriate behaviors and choices.
The paper suggests three primary priorities for addressing AI's ethical and legal challenges: (1) educating and training healthcare professionals, (2) providing robust support and guidance during AI system use, and (3) integrating ethical and legal considerations directly into AI tool development. Ultimately, the researchers stress the importance of close collaboration between healthcare professionals, ethicists, and legal experts to develop reliable and trustworthy AI technologies.
