Ethicals considerations about Artificial intelligence in critical care

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play an increasingly pivotal role in intensive care over the coming years. The possibilities for its use will be very broad, covering the fields of prediction, decision-making support, imaging, research, and training of healthcare professionals. Implementation of AI in intensive care has the potential to substantially transform patient care approaches and physician practices. These future changes raise specific ethical considerations promptly. From the development of an algorithm to market deployment, there are several stages that require ethical vigilance, embodying an approach commonly known as "ethics by design". These ethical concerns can be subdivided into four distinct parts, which will be addressed in turn: the data, the patient, the algorithm and the healthcare workers. Additionally, environmental and economic issues will be explored, in the context of the recent awareness of the need to reduce our carbon footprint. A comprehensive understanding of the ethical issues involved is probably the first step towards the efficient integration of this innovative technology into critical care setting.