Ethical Concerns in Healthcare AI
Lizzy Mandile College of Southern Maryland HEA-1755 LaShawn McKoy 5/10/26
Artificial intelligence, also referred to as "AI" is "..a term applied to a machine or software and refers to its capability of simulating intelligent human behavior, instantaneous calculations, problem-solving, and evaluation of a new data based on previously assessed data (Farhud & Zokaei, 2021)." In healthcare AI is used for many things such as note and summery taking, diagnostic review, medical "chatbots", and in some instances even things such as triage. To some degree AI is very commonly found in healthcare however that is not to say it doesn't come with potential risks.This paragraph is ready to be filled with incredible creativity, experiences, and stories.
What is artificial intelligence in healthcare?
Swipe up to view
There are many concerns brought to light when the topic of AI, especialy when it comes to healthcare (World Health Organazation, 2023). Patients rely on medical professionals and their reccomendations. If AI is reccomended to them for one reason or another it is very important it is trustworthy and not harmful. They can varry from minor all the way to serious. Three of these include,
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on a concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
Malpractice and Determining Liability
Sympathy
Privacy Protection
Privacy protection is a crutial right when it comes to healthcare. Aside from a moral right, a patient has the legal right to it through the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, generally reffered to as HIPPA. The problem with AI in healthcare is the patient's information is stored as data. This data has the potential to be hacked, thus leaking their protected health reccords to anyone who may want to obtain them. In some circumstances less governed companies who offer mail in genetic testing or other health related features can sell customer data to other companies which can also release private health information and reccords. Some social media sites or apps that use AI collect data legally without obtaining consent. This data can then be sold which can be a problemwhen the user is googling mental or physical health concerns which the AI is then distributing (Pham, 2025). This can result in the user getting ads related to the concerns they are having which is problematic due to both the possibility of other household members getting these ads or the ads becoming preditary due to the user's state.
Privacy Protection
While traditional healthcare providers are closely monitored and vetted when it comes to both malpractice and liability, AI is not as straight forward. AI is a machine that is always learning. It is not always right, and cannot always be predictable. AI can make decisions for itself which may not be the most optimal or even correct. It can give incorrect potentially harmful advice to a patient, doing more harm than good. The advice regardless of it is factual or not may also be inconsistant due to this. In addition, if AI makes a mistake, it cannot be held accountable regardless of what the outcome is. Additonally, AI making a mistake may even land the blame on the provider using the technology, even though they specifically did not have any hand in the mistake happening (Pham, 2025).
Malpractice and determining Liability
The last ethical issue AI poses is that due to it being a machine, it cannot give sympathy. While this might not seem like a big issue it will become more and more of an issue as AI progresses with its complexity. When we go to the doctor bedside manner is always something we care about. If it is a sensitive exam or a serious issue we dont want blunt or insensitive. If AI is treating a child the AI needs to approprietly handle their fear which can escalate into behavioral issues such as agression. In psychiatric patients AI can pose not just these issues but an even larger set of issues including a higher risk of AI psychosis or other adverse reactions due to the reduced person on person interactions (Farhund & Zokaei, 2021). Generally patients want to feel taken care of and heard when seeking out medical care, this is not something AI can reasonably do.
Sympathy
In conclusion, while AI in healthcare can have potential benefits, there are also many risks that come alongside them. Some of these risks can carry heavy concequences such as harm to the patient or legal reprocussions toward the provider. When using AI for anything, healthcare especially, it is important to be cautious and remember that AI is a machine that is not always perfect.
References:
Farhud, D., & Zokaei, S. (2021). Ethical issues of artificial intelligence in medicine and healthcare. Iranian Journal of Public Health, 50(11), 1–5. Pham, T. (2025). Ethical and legal considerations in healthcare AI: innovation and policy for safe and fair use. Royal Society Open Science, 12(5). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.241873https://doi.org/10. World Health Organization. (2023, May 16). WHO calls for safe and ethical AI for health. Www.who.int. https://www.who.int/news/item/16-05-2023-who-calls-for-safe-and-ethical-ai-for-health18502/ijph.v50i11.7600
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare AI
Lizzy Mandile
Created on May 11, 2026
Start designing with a free template
Discover more than 1500 professional designs like these:
View
Sorting Cards
View
Interactive Scoreboard
View
Semicircle Mind Map
View
Visual Thinking Checklist
View
Choice Board Flipcards
View
Team Retrospective
View
Fill in the Blanks
Explore all templates
Transcript
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare AI
Lizzy Mandile College of Southern Maryland HEA-1755 LaShawn McKoy 5/10/26
Artificial intelligence, also referred to as "AI" is "..a term applied to a machine or software and refers to its capability of simulating intelligent human behavior, instantaneous calculations, problem-solving, and evaluation of a new data based on previously assessed data (Farhud & Zokaei, 2021)." In healthcare AI is used for many things such as note and summery taking, diagnostic review, medical "chatbots", and in some instances even things such as triage. To some degree AI is very commonly found in healthcare however that is not to say it doesn't come with potential risks.This paragraph is ready to be filled with incredible creativity, experiences, and stories.
What is artificial intelligence in healthcare?
Swipe up to view
There are many concerns brought to light when the topic of AI, especialy when it comes to healthcare (World Health Organazation, 2023). Patients rely on medical professionals and their reccomendations. If AI is reccomended to them for one reason or another it is very important it is trustworthy and not harmful. They can varry from minor all the way to serious. Three of these include,
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on a concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
Malpractice and Determining Liability
Sympathy
Privacy Protection
Privacy protection is a crutial right when it comes to healthcare. Aside from a moral right, a patient has the legal right to it through the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, generally reffered to as HIPPA. The problem with AI in healthcare is the patient's information is stored as data. This data has the potential to be hacked, thus leaking their protected health reccords to anyone who may want to obtain them. In some circumstances less governed companies who offer mail in genetic testing or other health related features can sell customer data to other companies which can also release private health information and reccords. Some social media sites or apps that use AI collect data legally without obtaining consent. This data can then be sold which can be a problemwhen the user is googling mental or physical health concerns which the AI is then distributing (Pham, 2025). This can result in the user getting ads related to the concerns they are having which is problematic due to both the possibility of other household members getting these ads or the ads becoming preditary due to the user's state.
Privacy Protection
While traditional healthcare providers are closely monitored and vetted when it comes to both malpractice and liability, AI is not as straight forward. AI is a machine that is always learning. It is not always right, and cannot always be predictable. AI can make decisions for itself which may not be the most optimal or even correct. It can give incorrect potentially harmful advice to a patient, doing more harm than good. The advice regardless of it is factual or not may also be inconsistant due to this. In addition, if AI makes a mistake, it cannot be held accountable regardless of what the outcome is. Additonally, AI making a mistake may even land the blame on the provider using the technology, even though they specifically did not have any hand in the mistake happening (Pham, 2025).
Malpractice and determining Liability
The last ethical issue AI poses is that due to it being a machine, it cannot give sympathy. While this might not seem like a big issue it will become more and more of an issue as AI progresses with its complexity. When we go to the doctor bedside manner is always something we care about. If it is a sensitive exam or a serious issue we dont want blunt or insensitive. If AI is treating a child the AI needs to approprietly handle their fear which can escalate into behavioral issues such as agression. In psychiatric patients AI can pose not just these issues but an even larger set of issues including a higher risk of AI psychosis or other adverse reactions due to the reduced person on person interactions (Farhund & Zokaei, 2021). Generally patients want to feel taken care of and heard when seeking out medical care, this is not something AI can reasonably do.
Sympathy
In conclusion, while AI in healthcare can have potential benefits, there are also many risks that come alongside them. Some of these risks can carry heavy concequences such as harm to the patient or legal reprocussions toward the provider. When using AI for anything, healthcare especially, it is important to be cautious and remember that AI is a machine that is not always perfect.
References:
Farhud, D., & Zokaei, S. (2021). Ethical issues of artificial intelligence in medicine and healthcare. Iranian Journal of Public Health, 50(11), 1–5. Pham, T. (2025). Ethical and legal considerations in healthcare AI: innovation and policy for safe and fair use. Royal Society Open Science, 12(5). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.241873https://doi.org/10. World Health Organization. (2023, May 16). WHO calls for safe and ethical AI for health. Www.who.int. https://www.who.int/news/item/16-05-2023-who-calls-for-safe-and-ethical-ai-for-health18502/ijph.v50i11.7600