How Hong Kong can lead in patient-focused ethical AI healthcare

South China Morning Post

2 days ago

Hong Kong is uniquely positioned to lead the world in AI-based advances in healthcare. This was the
view expressed by experts at the recent annual Asia Summit on Global Health. Firms like Bain and Company similarly see diverse patient populations and strong government support as key advantages in the Asia-Pacific's development as a hub for medical technology innovation. This raises big hopes and important ethical questions about AI's role in the future of healthcare.
As Hong Kong strives to lead innovation in the field, will it ensure AI application is ethical and genuinely serves the interests of patients?
The evolving ethics of AI in
biomedicine was the topic of a recent seminar we spoke at, hosted by the Medical Ethics and Humanities Unit at the University of Hong Kong's Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine. The forum discussed key ethical frameworks and encouraged thoughtful public conversation on the use of AI in healthcare.
Ethical reflection, discussion with stakeholders and carefully crafted guidelines are all vital to ensuring this technology is used to improve human lives. If implemented well, AI has tremendous potential for good. It may enhance patient experience, improve population health, reduce costs and increase physician well-being by reducing fatigue and making the work more meaningful.
With medical imaging, for example, AI's capability in analysing images exceeds the human eye. AI algorithms based on deep learning models can detect anomalies easy for a human to miss. AI can therefore enhance doctors' ability to determine the results of tests for rectal cancer, lung disease and other illnesses. This elevates the standard of care, a clear win for patients.
Similarly, where AI is used to
enhance robotic-assisted surgeries , this means greater precision. If the ethics of data storage can be addressed, such applications should be relatively uncontroversial.