An international group of doctors has warned that artificial intelligence could worsen social and health inequalities in healthcare
. Concerns also include data privacy and security, AI errors that could harm patients, and existential risks.
- The experts, writing in the journal BMJ Global Health, cautioned that AI could exacerbate social and health inequalities in healthcare by perpetuating human biases and discrimination, or reinforcing pre-existing disparities in people's access to healthcare.
- Research, for example, has revealed that hospital algorithms can be racially biased against Black patients.
- Patients are also apprehensive, with 60% saying they'd be uncomfortable with AI in healthcare, and only 38% believing it would improve outcomes.
- The warning is the latest in a growing chorus of concerns around AI safety, with experts calling for the technology to be regulated.