Ethical guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence

• 21 Mar 2023

Recently, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) released ethical guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare and biomedical research.

These principles can be broadly categorized into the following ten points:

1. Accountability and Liability: AI systems should be held accountable for their actions and outcomes, and those responsible for their development and deployment should be held liable for any harm caused.
2. Autonomy: Patients should have control over their personal health data and the use of AI should respect their autonomy, privacy, and dignity.
3. Data Privacy: The use of AI in healthcare should adhere to strict data privacy and security standards, and patients should be informed about the use of their data.
4. Collaboration: Collaboration between stakeholders, including researchers, clinicians, hospitals, public health systems, patients, ethics committees, government regulators, and the industry, is essential for the development and deployment of AI tools in healthcare.
5. Risk Minimization and Safety: AI systems should be designed and deployed in a way that minimizes risks and ensures patient safety.
6. Accessibility and Equity: The use of AI in healthcare should be accessible to all, regardless of their socio-economic status, and should not exacerbate existing health disparities.
7. Optimization of Data Quality: AI systems should use high-quality data and avoid biased or incomplete data sets.
8. Non-Discrimination and Fairness: AI systems should be designed and deployed in a way that avoids discrimination and promotes fairness in healthcare outcomes.
9. Validity: AI systems should be validated using appropriate methods, and the results should be transparent and reproducible.
10. Trustworthiness: AI systems should be transparent, reliable, and trustworthy, and patients should have confidence in their use in healthcare.