Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Must Heed Ethics, UI Researcher Says

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Head of the Medical Technology Cluster, as well as Head of the Big Data Center IMERI Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia (UI), Prasandhya Astagiri Yusuf, described some of the latest artificial intelligence (AI) technologies used in medicine, including automated machine learning, federated learning, and Generative AI.

Prasandhya said automated machine learning can perform prediction modeling or categorization automatically from health big data without the need for coding (AI to build AI).

Federated learning facilitates collaboration on multicenter prediction modeling without the need for medical data exchange. Meanwhile, Generative AI can generate synthetic data from training data, whether text, image, or video-based.

Even so, he said, the utilization of AI in the field of medicine must still heed ethical principles. These principles include transparency, accountability, and fairness which are important foundations to ensure that the application of AI provides optimal benefits to society and does not cause adverse consequences.

He added that the use of AI technology must be balanced with the strengthening of moral accountability to avoid bias, since artificial intelligence is utilized as a complementary tool, not replace clinical decisions. This means that AI will not replace the profession of health workers, but health workers who are proficient with AI will replace practitioners who are not.

"To overcome the challenges in managing health big data and ensure that the development of AI models goes well, multidisciplinary collaboration between clinicians, computer scientists, data scientists, and biostatisticians is needed. Clear regulations from the government in terms of the use of AI in the health sector are also important to avoid ethical and legal issues that may arise," Prasandhya said in a written statement on Sunday, March 17, 2024. 

Previously, the Ministry of Communication and Informatics had issued 

Circular Letter Number 9 of 2023 concerning the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, inked on December 19, 2023. Deputy Minister of Communication and Informatics Nezar Patria stated that the Circular Letter is an ethical guideline to ensure AI practices are beneficial with less negative impacts. The regulation, he said, is not intended to curb creation and innovation.

IRSYAN HASYIM

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