Toward Safe and Ethical Implementation of Health Care Artificial Intelligence: Insights From an Academic Medical Center

Abstract

Claims abound that advances in artificial intelligence (AI) will permeate virtually every aspect of medicine and transform clinical practice. Simultaneously, concerns about the safety and equity of health care AI have prompted ethical and regulatory scrutiny from multiple oversight bodies. Positioned at the intersection of these perspectives, academic medical centers (AMCs) are charged with navigating the safe and responsible implementation of health care AI. Decisions about the use of AI at AMCs are complicated by uncertainties regarding the risks posed by these technologies and a lack of consensus on best practices for managing these risks. In this article, we highlight several potential harms that may arise in the adoption of health care AI, with a focus on risks to patients, clinicians, and medical practice. In addition, we describe several strategies that AMCs might adopt now to address concerns about the safety and ethical uses of health care AI. Our analysis aims to support AMCs as they seek to balance AI innovation with proactive oversight.