Ethical Issues in Artificial Intelligence Care Systems

Kevin Wendt, BSN, RN

Potential Ethical Dilemmas

There have been many books, films, and other media surrounding the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) use on in our society for many decades; where AI is now and where it’s heading in 15 to 20 years is a topic of fear and contention for many people, so it’s a very important thesis to translate when considering incorporating this type of autonomous technology into artificial intelligent care professionals (AICP) because not every patient will be able to trust the advice or decision-making process of an artificial mind (Luxton, 2014). People inherently fear the unknown, fear other peoples’ cultures — if certain groups of people, or patients, cannot trust other unique cultures and backgrounds of other people in a healthcare setting, what will keep them from trusting an artificial intelligent system that appears different from themselves? In the simplest of terms, is it ethical to mimic or synthesize the sociocultural background of a group of patients and place it into an artificial system in order to achieve patient compliance or satisfaction? Imagine a current scenario in the hospital when the nurse introduces an educational video for the patient, it seems appropriate, and imperative, in the future that a diversely cultured human interaction will be required alongside the artificially intelligent one for the…