Abstract
Healthcare applications of artificial intelligence (AI) have the potential to produce great benefit, but also come with significant ethical risks. Scholars, practitioners and policymakers continue to debate the appropriate use of AI in healthcare. To help navigate these debates, we distinguish three general modes of ethical theorising in contemporary secular AI ethics: (1) idealism, which seeks to articulate moral ideals that can be applied to concrete problems; (2) realism, which focuses on understanding complex social realities that underpin ethical problems; and (3) pragmatism, which promotes deliberative methods that allow joint action in the present but also enable future moral growth and progress. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each of these modes and illustrate their relevance to salient ethical problems arising from the use of AI in healthcare. Finally, we argue that, while all three have merits, the pragmatist approach deserves more attention than it has received thus far.
| Translated title of the contribution | Idealisme, realisme og pragmatisme: tre slags teoretisering indenfor sekulære AI etik |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Title of host publication | Research Handbook on Health, AI and the Law : Research Handbooks in Health and Medical Law |
| Editors | Barry Solaiman, I. Glenn Cohen |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Place of publication | Cheltenham, UK |
| Publisher | Edward Elgar Publishing |
| Publication date | 16 Jul 2024 |
| Pages | 203-218 |
| Chapter | 12 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781802205640 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781802205657 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 16 Jul 2024 |
Keywords
- AI ethics
- AI in healthcare
- Idealism
- Realism
- Pragmatism
- Principlism