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6. An Example: Ethics by Design in Healthcare
Let’s look at a futuristic healthcare system that uses AI to diagnose patients. As Prof. Dominic Wilkinson, Professor of Medical Ethics at the University of Oxford and Director of Medical Ethics at the Oxford Uehiro Institute for Practical Ethics, and collaborator at the Institute for Ethics in Technology, says: ‘Medicine has had breakthrough, also due to AI, but just because we can now do many things, should we? And that question needs to be part of the development process. Otherwise, it can be too late to turn the clocks back.’ Artificial intelligence in healthcare has incredible potential, capable of analysing vast amounts of medical data and providing fast, accurate diagnoses. However, what happens if the AI is trained using biased data? If the medical records used to train the system primarily come from wealthy patients, the needs of underrepresented or disadvantaged groups might be overlooked, leading to unfair or inaccurate diagnoses. This is where Ethics by Design becomes essential. Instead of waiting until after the system is launched and dealing with these ethical issues later, ethicists work closely with developers from the very start. They ensure the data is diverse and representative, so the AI can deliver accurate diagnoses for all patients, regardless of their socioeconomic background or medical history. Furthermore, they build in transparency mechanisms that allow doctors and medical professionals to understand how the AI arrived at its conclusions. This transparency fosters trust, making the technology not only efficient but also reliable and equitable. Imagine Anna, a patient in 2035, visiting the hospital for a diagnosis. An AI system is used to identify the cause of her symptoms. But for the AI to serve Anna effectively, several ethical questions must have been addressed long before her visit: Were the training datasets sufficiently diverse to ensure accuracy across different patient groups? Is the AI designed to communicate its recommendations clearly to the medical team? Can Anna provide informed consent, fully understanding the AI's role in her diagnosis and treatment? Ethics by Design ensures these concerns are accounted for, creating technology that is trustworthy, transparent, and inclusive. By embedding ethics into technology from the outset, we avoid the need for costly corrections after launch and can create innovations that genuinely improve lives while upholding human rights, protecting privacy, and promoting justice. In a world where technology is evolving faster than ever, Ethics by Design is essential for ensuring that progress is not only innovative but also responsible and sustainable.