Informed Consent at the Intersection of AI and Medicine

This course module delves into the ethical, regulatory, and practical aspects of informed consent in our increasingly digitally-driven healthcare and research environments. It examines the history of informed consent and its current applications beyond traditional medical contexts, posing the critical question: Will AI grant patients and research participants more or less control over their data, healthcare, and decision-making processes? The module explores the evolution of consent in digital spaces and the changing dynamics between doctors and patients. It investigates the potential impact of AI on patient and physician autonomy, the transparency of medical information, and the ability of both parties to be fully informed. Key topics include explaining AI decision-making to patients, the benefits and risks for patients and healthcare providers, the introduction of biases, AI system limitations, and regulatory frameworks guiding AI in medicine. The module fundamentally questions the role of medical ethics when consent may no longer suffice as the ethical justification for interventions or experiments. Through case studies, interactive discussions, and expert insights, the course challenges the adequacy of current bioethics frameworks to justify medical practice and research in an AI-enhanced, digitally-driven environment where consent can no longer hold sway and trust is increasingly shifted from the intimate relationship between the doctor and the patient to digitalized systems on which both must rely. This module is valuable for ethicists, healthcare professionals, AI developers, and policymakers involved in AI integration in medicine.