AG Heinzelmann, 24.01.2025 Promoting the Ethical and Trustworthy Governance of AI in Healthcare

This talk explores ethical considerations that arise in the development and implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in healthcare, including bias, equity, privacy, safety, and transparency. Presenting findings from two different empirical bioethics research projects, I first explore how to ethically and effectively govern AI systems and models in healthcare settings based on in-depth interviews with key stakeholders including data scientists, clinicians, and regulators. Second, I examine how patient-facing generative AI tools such as automated clinical documentation and AI-drafted patient messaging in online health portals may affect trust and empathy between clinicians and patients. Both projects seek to guide healthcare systems in navigating the ethical complexities of adopting new technologies, ensuring that advancements in AI serve to strengthen, rather than erode, the foundational trust in our healthcare systems and patient-clinician relationships.

About Kellie Owens: 

Dr. Kellie Owens is a medical sociologist and empirical bioethicist with a PhD in Sociology from Northwestern University. Her research focuses on the ethical implications of health information technologies, particularly in genomics and artificial intelligence. Dr. Owens explores how new technologies impact health inequities and addresses the need for improved social and technical infrastructures to support AI/ML tools in healthcare. She holds an early career award from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and has received recognition from the American Sociological Association and other prominent organizations. 

Note that talks (but not Q+A) may be recorded.