Dr. Bertalan Meskó works at Semmelweis Medical School in Budapest (Hungary) and is also known as “The Medical Futurist”. He specialises in analysing the impact of technologies on global medicine and healthcare.
As AI becomes increasingly integrated into healthcare systems, concerns about data privacy, algorithmic bias, and transparency have surfaced. In your opinion, what strategies or frameworks can be implemented to address these ethical challenges and ensure responsible AI adoption in public health?
Bertalan Meskó: Fortunately, we are not at a stage in the AI revolution anymore that I should come up with these strategies and frameworks. The United States’ Food and Drug Administration has been showing strong leadership in the subject and has released regulations that would allow companies to keep on innovating while also being able to bring their product to the market in a safe and efficient manner.
At the same time, medical associations like the ones in the US and Canada, have released guidelines for medical professionals to make sure they know how to use such advanced technologies while adhering to the rules of evidence-based medicine.
Regarding more system-level issues such as data privacy, it would be important to help the public understand their role in this AI revolution. Without their precious data, ranging from medical records to smartwatch usage, it’s not possible to improve AI and enjoy its benefits.
Therefore, the right question we have to ask ourselves is how much of our privacy we are willing to give up in exchange for a chance for a healthier life. As long as this decision is ours, ethically, we should be fine.
Within the European Union’s healthcare landscape, how do you perceive the intersection of artificial intelligence and ethics, and what key ethical considerations do you believe are paramount in the development and implementation of AI-driven technologies in EU public health initiatives?
Bertalan Meskó: There is no difference between how the EU or the US should tackle the ethical challenges that come with the use of AI. These issues are the same regardless of geographical regions, only their scale is different.
Still, if I had to name key ethical considerations, I’d prioritise 1) helping the public understand how they lose some of their privacy while enjoying the benefits of AI; 2) consciously fighting against bias in AI; and 3) implementing patient design to ensure the involvement of patients in using AI in healthcare. Patient design briefly means involving patients at the highest level of decision-making.
Success stories in AI-driven initiatives within the European Union highlight the potential of the technology to transform public health. However, they also underscore the importance of ethical oversight and accountability. From your perspective, how can EU policymakers and healthcare professionals collaborate to establish robust regulatory frameworks that balance innovation with ethical considerations in AI-driven healthcare solutions?
Bertalan Meskó: Policy-makers should have a crystal clear understanding of the technology to provide the best possible regulations; while healthcare professionals should be involved in the discussions around them as they will be the end users of those regulations.
A great example the EU should look at is how the United States’ FDA has worked together with the American Medical Association to make it happen.
In your experience, what role does interdisciplinary collaboration play in navigating the ethical landscapes of AI in healthcare? How can stakeholders from diverse fields, including ethicists, data scientists, policymakers, and healthcare professionals, work together to foster ethical AI development and promote the well-being of patients and communities?
Bertalan Meskó: I think clinical, AI and bioethical researchers should play the most important role in this process. With their scientific papers, studies and guidelines, it would become easier for non-professionals to find out how AI could and should be implemented into healthcare.
I would also advise organisations, policy-making bodies and healthcare institutions to use futures studies methodologies that would help them better prepare for unforeseen situations, events and consequences of the use of advances technologies like AI.
Some projects, under the term foresight, have taken place (one example is the Topol Review of the United Kingdom’s NHS outlining recommendations on how to deal with a digital future), but there is a huge unexploited potential in using futures methods in policy-making in the EU.