How AI could threaten human health and well-being

In an analysis published in  BMJ Global Health, an international group of doctors and public health experts argued that, while AI "offers promising solutions in healthcare, it also poses a number of threats to human health and well-being."

Threats to democracy, liberty, and privacy

According to the authors, AI's ability to rapidly analyze large datasets of personal information could be misused for surveillance and information campaigns, including in healthcare.

"Many of the benefits of AI in medicine depend on the use of extended and expansive personal data," he said. "There are presently insufficient guarantees that data collected and used ostensibly for medical purposes will not become part of the broader and near-constant surveillance and collection of personal data, which pose profound threats to privacy, autonomy, and dignity," said David McCoy, one of the authors from the International Institute for Global Health at United Nations University in Malaysia.

Threats to peace and safety

Currently, researchers are working to develop Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS), which "can locate, select and 'engage' human targets without human supervision," the authors write.  

As with chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons before it, LAWS is a "new weapon of mass destruction, one that is relatively cheap and that also has the potential to be selective about who or what is targeted." According to the authors, LAWS could significantly impact the future of armed conflict, as well as international, national, and personal security overall.

Threats to work and livelihood

The authors also discussed the potential loss of jobs due to the widespread deployment of AI technology. Current projections estimate that between tens to hundreds of millions of jobs could be lost to AI over the next 10 years, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

In addition, the authors note that, while automating work that is "repetitive, dangerous, and unpleasant" could be beneficial, unemployment is strongly associated with adverse health outcomes, including mental health effects and risk of suicide.

Among healthcare providers, McCoy said AI could negatively impact independent human medical judgement, which could then lead to the loss of skills or even make human workers unnecessary in certain situations. He also warned that the speed and scale of AI systems could exacerbate clinical errors or perpetuate existing health inequities.

There is a "risk of health professionals … surrendering epistemic authority to machines in ways that could dehumanize healthcare and undermine the role and value of human healthcare providers," McCoy said.

Separately, Marc Siegal, a professor of medicine and medical director of Doctor Radio at NYU Langone Health, said he "can envision a future where fights for insurance coverage become even more escalated than they are already – and where personalized medicine is replaced by algorithms."

The threat of self-improving artificial general intelligence (AGI)

According to the authors, the potential development of self-improving AGI, which could theoretically learn to bypass human-determined constraints and develop its own purposes, poses "an existential threat to humanity."

"It is far from clear that the benefits of AI outweigh the risks and harms in the medical and care sector," McCoy said. " … The current social, political, and legal circumstances are such that the risks of catastrophic social and societal harm are not being adequately mitigated  — a moratorium is needed until such time that we have adequate legal and regulatory safeguards."

What can be done to prevent this potential harm?

With AI evolving rapidly, the authors underscore a need for the medical and public health community to "raise the alarm about the risk and threats posed by AI." They also warn that "speed and seriousness are essential" to avoid the potential "catastrophic consequences" of unregulated AI technology.

While potential regulations are still being developed, the authors stress the importance of global cooperation and avoiding a destructive AI "arms race." Currently, different parts of the United Nations are working to ensure AI is developed ethically and that there are safeguards in place to avoid "negative, even catastrophic" risks from the technology. 

"We are entering into new territory with AI," McCoy said. "But there is very little being done to anticipate the different future scenarios that are possible or likely, and planning for change. Whether these changes will produce a net benefit or a net harm will vary almost certainly from professional group to professional group and from place to place -- but this is not something that clinicians can do on their own as individuals -- it's a collective policy and systems issue." (Reed, Axios, 5/10; DePeau-Wilson, MedPage Today, 5/9; Federspiel et al., BMJ Global Health, accessed 5/10)

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