1. WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the development of computer systems capable of performing tasks that require human intelligence, such as recognizing speech, making decisions, identifying patterns, and solving problems.
The method used by artificial intelligence machines to learn is by looking at training data, user inputs and outcomes.
Examples of AI are:
Voice smart assistants
Language to text, image, and audio generation (Generative AI)
Customer chatbots
Google search
Financial data and fraud analysis
Self-driving cars.
2. HEALTHCARE APPLICATIONS
According to the Statista website, the market for artificial intelligence applications in healthcare was around 11 billion U.S. dollars worldwide in 2021. Current predictions are that the global healthcare artificial intelligence market will increase to about 188 billion U.S. dollars by 2030.
One important benefit of artificial intelligence in healthcare would be to reduce the time physicians spend on administrative tasks. It is estimated that a physician’s working time is 50-50 for patients’ management and administrative tasks. The implementation of artificial intelligence would reduce administrative tasks to 30% of their time.
Some fields of potential applications of artificial intelligence in healthcare are:
1) Biomedical research
- Data collection
- Literature research
2) Translational research
- Clinical trials
- Drug development
Today, developing new drugs takes years and costs over $2 billion on average. AI is streamlining development with its ability to match drug targets with new molecules that can treat and cure diseases, saving time and money.
3) Medical practice
- Disease diagnostics, especially in Radiology imaging and Pathology
- Resource Management - using AI predictive tools for an efficient use of resources, minimizing waste, and reducing costs.
- Risk stratification
- Patient Support and Engagement - ChatGPT has been used at the University of California San Diego Health and Penn Medicine to interact with patients, by answering general inquiries, providing appointment and medication reminders, and dispensing basic health information to patients.
- Electronic medical records
- Coding and billing
4) Fighting fraud and abuse
The National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association estimates that around 3% of annual healthcare spending is wasted on fraudulent claims, with some other estimates putting it closer to 10% of total healthcare spending, close to $300 billion annually.
Artificial intelligence can be used to detect and prevent fraud. There are already many AI software products created to detect errors and fraudulent activity. These products may detect healthcare claims fraud, prescription abuse, and phantom billings.
3. RISKS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
- Hallucinations – Artificial Intelligence hallucinations are incorrect or misleading results generated by AI applications. These errors are caused by a variety of factors, including insufficient training data, incorrect assumptions made by the model, or biases in the data used to train the model.
- Privacy concerns
- Security risks
- Bias and discrimination
- Lack of transparency
- Misinformation and manipulation
4. ETHICS FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE MEANINGFUL USE
The use of Artificial Intelligence may bring ethical problems to individuals and societies. Some of the ethical concerns about AI use are:
Harms to privacy and security: Some of the problems regarding privacy and security are negligent data privacy practices, from poor data security to intrusive data collection and data mining, to the selling of individual data to third parties.
Harms to fairness and justice: Law enforcement systems, criminal and civil court systems, employers and teachers’ evaluations, healthcare and insurance companies, and other financial institutions are already applying artificial intelligence to collect data from consumers, evaluate students’ and employees’ performance and to predict consumers’ risk.
These tasks are not free from harm, with the most common issues being: arbitrariness, data errors and inaccuracies, and biases in databases systems.
Harms to transparency and autonomy: AI applications require appropriate measures of transparency in data collection and the protection of individual rights.
Ethical challenges in appropriate data collection and use are:
- Secure data storage and responsible data stewardship.
- Identifying and addressing data bias
- Understanding personal and social impacts of data management.
In 2021, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), released a Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. It calls attention to the need for data protection and asks for more action from regulatory bodies. The Recommendation also condemns the use of AI systems for social scoring and mass surveillance and proposes tools to help countries assess the impact of AI systems on individuals and communities, calling for an environment-friendly Artificial Intelligence.
The four values of the UNESCO Recommendation are:
I - Respect, protection and promotion of human rights, fundamental freedoms and human dignity
II - Ensuring diversity and inclusiveness
III - Living in peaceful, just, and interconnected societies
IV - Environment and ecosystem flourishing.
In February 2024, eight global tech companies committed to applying UNESCO’s Recommendation in their AI solutions: GSMA, INNIT, Lenovo Group, LG AI Research, Mastercard, Microsoft, Salesforce and Telefonica signed a ground-breaking agreement to build more ethical AI. The companies will integrate the values and principles of UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of AI when designing and deploying AI systems.
5. U.S. GOVERNMENT APPLICATIONS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
The U.S. government is prioritizing Artificial Intelligence technologies to improve its services and operations. AI provides benefits in healthcare, transportation, the environment, social security, and prevention of fraud and abuse. The federal government is already applying AI in many projects and initiatives aimed at taking the United States to the frontlines of AI use and regulations.
The Biden-Harris Administration issued an executive order in October 2023 on the “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence,” to ensure that Artificial Intelligence is implemented in a safe and secure way. The EO was followed by actions to manage risks to safety and security and to assure that the implementation of AI provides benefits and responsible innovation.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is already using AI to draft clinical study reports, help Medicare beneficiaries with their medical devices, prioritize grant applications, and detect infectious disease outbreaks.
The White House has already created an official website to address Artificial Intelligence and innovation, to attract AI professionals and students, and to empower researchers and educators with the tools to improve the applications and benefits of AI solutions.
REFERENCES:
1. Bekbolatova M, Mayer J, Ong CW, Toma M. (2024). Transformative Potential of AI in Healthcare: Definitions, Applications, and Navigating the Ethical Landscape and Public Perspectives. Healthcare (Basel). 2024;12(2):125. https://doi:10.3390/healthcare12020125.
2. White House (2023) Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence. Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/10/30/executive-order-on-the-safe-secure-and-trustworthy-development-and-use-of-artificial-intelligence/.
3. Tsamados, A. et al. (2021). The Ethics of Algorithms: Key Problems and Solutions. In: Floridi, L. (eds) Ethics, Governance, and Policies in Artificial Intelligence. Philosophical Studies Series, vol 144. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81907-1_8.
4. (2023) Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. Retrieved from https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/recommendation-ethics-artificial-intelligence.
5. Office of the Chief Information Officer (2024) Artificial Intelligence (AI) at HHS. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/about/agencies/asa/ocio/ai/index.html.
