Ethical considerations on the development and application of artificial intelligence in public health

Abstract

With the development of digital technology， an increasing number of artificial intelligence （AI） technologies are being applied in the field of public health， significantly improving the efficiency of healthcare systems. However， such technological advancement also introduces a series of ethical risks. In this article， we conducted a systematic review by searching nine domestic and international databases and analyzing the ethical issues related to AI in public health， ultimately including 158 articles. Based on the analysis of the included literature， ethical risks were categorized into four aspects： data， algorithms， rights and responsibilities， and social impact. A total of 15 key issues were identified， among which privacy and confidentiality， informed consent， data security， and fairness， justice and inclusion emerged as the most prominent issues. The ethical challenges posed by AI in the field of public health cannot be ignored， and it is necessary to formulate ethical guidelines and practical recommendations for AI in this field， establish sound regulatory and review mechanisms， thereby ensuring the healthy development of AI research in public health.

Keywords

• artificial intelligence
• big data
• public health
• ethical issue
• risk