Digitized Future of Medicine: Challenges for Bioethics

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-103
Author(s):  
Elena G. Grebenshchikova ◽  
Pavel D. Tishchenko

The article discusses the challenges, benefits, and risks that, from a bioethical perspective, arise because of the the development of eHealth projects. The conceptual framework of the research is based on H. Jonas’ principles of the ethics of responsibility and B.G. Yudin’s anthropological ideas on human beings as agents who constantly change their own boundaries in the “zone of phase transitions.” The article focuses on the events taking place in the zone of phase transitions between humans and machines in eHealth. It is shown that for innovative practices related to digitalization and datafication in medicine, it is needed to rethink central bioethical concepts of personal autonomy and informed consent. In particular, the concept of broad or open informed consent is discussed, which allows the idea of moral responsibility in the field of biomedical technologies to be extended to events of uncertain future. The authors draw attention to the problems associated with the emergence of new autonomous subjects/agents (machines with artificial intelligence) in relationship between doctors and patients. The humanization of machines occurring in eHealth is accompanied by a counter trend – the formation of conceptions and practices of the quantified self. There emerges the practices of self-care and bio-power (M. Foucault) caused by the datafication and digitization of personality. The authors conclude that bioethics should proactively develop norms for the evolving interaction between doctor and patients.

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-103
Author(s):  
Elena G. Grebenshchikova ◽  
Pavel D. Tishchenko

The article discusses the challenges, benefits, and risks that, from a bioethical perspective, arise because of the the development of eHealth projects. The conceptual framework of the research is based on H. Jonas’ principles of the ethics of responsibility and B.G. Yudin’s anthropological ideas on human beings as agents who constantly change their own boundaries in the “zone of phase transitions.” The article focuses on the events taking place in the zone of phase transitions between humans and machines in eHealth. It is shown that for innovative practices related to digitalization and datafication in medicine, it is needed to rethink central bioethical concepts of personal autonomy and informed consent. In particular, the concept of broad or open informed consent is discussed, which allows the idea of moral responsibility in the field of biomedical technologies to be extended to events of uncertain future. The authors draw attention to the problems associated with the emergence of new autonomous subjects/agents (machines with artificial intelligence) in relationship between doctors and patients. The humanization of machines occurring in eHealth is accompanied by a counter trend – the formation of conceptions and practices of the quantified self. There emerges the practices of self-care and bio-power (M. Foucault) caused by the datafication and digitization of personality. The authors conclude that bioethics should proactively develop norms for the evolving interaction between doctor and patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 455-458
Author(s):  
Daniel W. Tigard

AbstractWhat exactly is it that makes one morally responsible? Is it a set of facts which can be objectively discerned, or is it something more subjective, a reaction to the agent or context-sensitive interaction? This debate gets raised anew when we encounter newfound examples of potentially marginal agency. Accordingly, the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and the idea of “novel beings” represent exciting opportunities to revisit inquiries into the nature of moral responsibility. This paper expands upon my article “Artificial Moral Responsibility: How We Can and Cannot Hold Machines Responsible” and clarifies my reliance upon two competing views of responsibility. Although AI and novel beings are not close enough to us in kind to be considered candidates for the same sorts of responsibility we ascribe to our fellow human beings, contemporary theories show us the priority and adaptability of our moral attitudes and practices. This allows us to take seriously the social ontology of relationships that tie us together. In other words, moral responsibility is to be found primarily in the natural moral community, even if we admit that those communities now contain artificial agents.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Lara

AbstractCan Artificial Intelligence (AI) be more effective than human instruction for the moral enhancement of people? The author argues that it only would be if the use of this technology were aimed at increasing the individual's capacity to reflectively decide for themselves, rather than at directly influencing behaviour. To support this, it is shown how a disregard for personal autonomy, in particular, invalidates the main proposals for applying new technologies, both biomedical and AI-based, to moral enhancement. As an alternative to these proposals, this article proposes a virtual assistant that, through dialogue, neutrality and virtual reality technologies, can teach users to make better moral decisions on their own. The author concludes that, as long as certain precautions are taken in its design, such an assistant could do this better than a human instructor adopting the same educational methodology.


2021 ◽  
pp. 146144482199380
Author(s):  
Donghee Shin

How much do anthropomorphisms influence the perception of users about whether they are conversing with a human or an algorithm in a chatbot environment? We develop a cognitive model using the constructs of anthropomorphism and explainability to explain user experiences with conversational journalism (CJ) in the context of chatbot news. We examine how users perceive anthropomorphic and explanatory cues, and how these stimuli influence user perception of and attitudes toward CJ. Anthropomorphic explanations of why and how certain items are recommended afford users a sense of humanness, which then affects trust and emotional assurance. Perceived humanness triggers a two-step flow of interaction by defining the baseline to make a judgment about the qualities of CJ and by affording the capacity to interact with chatbots concerning their intention to interact with chatbots. We develop practical implications relevant to chatbots and ascertain the significance of humanness as a social cue in CJ. We offer a theoretical lens through which to characterize humanness as a key mechanism of human–artificial intelligence (AI) interaction, of which the eventual goal is humans perceive AI as human beings. Our results help to better understand human–chatbot interaction in CJ by illustrating how humans interact with chatbots and explaining why humans accept the way of CJ.


Janus Head ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-66
Author(s):  
Hub Zwart ◽  

This paper subjects Dan Brown’s most recent novel Origin to a philosophical reading. Origin is regarded as a literary window into contemporary technoscience, inviting us to explore its transformative momentum and disruptive impact, focusing on the cultural significance of artificial intelligence and computer science: on the way in which established world-views are challenged by the incessant wave of scientific discoveries made possible by super-computation. While initially focusing on the tension between science and religion, the novel’s attention gradually shifts to the increased dependence of human beings on smart technologies and artificial (or even “synthetic”) intelligence. Origin’s message, I will argue, reverberates with Oswald Spengler’s The Decline of the West, which aims to outline a morphology of world civilizations. Although the novel starts with a series of oppositions, most notably between religion and science, the eventual tendency is towards convergence, synthesis and sublation, exemplified by Sagrada Família as a monumental symptom of this transition. Three instances of convergence will be highlighted, namely the convergence between science and religion, between humanity and technology and between the natural sciences and the humanities.


Author(s):  
Igor I. Kartashov ◽  
Ivan I. Kartashov

For millennia, mankind has dreamed of creating an artificial creature capable of thinking and acting “like human beings”. These dreams are gradually starting to come true. The trends in the development of modern so-ciety, taking into account the increasing level of its informatization, require the use of new technologies for information processing and assistance in de-cision-making. Expanding the boundaries of the use of artificial intelligence requires not only the establishment of ethical restrictions, but also gives rise to the need to promptly resolve legal problems, including criminal and proce-dural ones. This is primarily due to the emergence and spread of legal expert systems that predict the decision on a particular case, based on a variety of parameters. Based on a comprehensive study, we formulate a definition of artificial intelligence suitable for use in law. It is proposed to understand artificial intelligence as systems capable of interpreting the received data, making optimal decisions on their basis using self-learning (adaptation). The main directions of using artificial intelligence in criminal proceedings are: search and generalization of judicial practice; legal advice; preparation of formalized documents or statistical reports; forecasting court decisions; predictive jurisprudence. Despite the promise of using artificial intelligence, there are a number of problems associated with a low level of reliability in predicting rare events, self-excitation of the system, opacity of the algorithms and architecture used, etc.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siti Rohaya Mat Rahim ◽  
Zam Zuriyati Mohamad ◽  
Juliana Abu Bakar ◽  
Farhana Hanim Mohsin ◽  
Norhayati Md Isa

This study examines the two important aspect of latest technology issues in Islamic finance that related to artificial intelligence (AI) and smart contract. AI refers to the ability of machines to understand, think, and learn in a similar way to human beings, indicating the possibility of using computers to simulate human intelligence. Smart contract is a computer code running on top of a block-chain containing a set of rules under which the parties to that smart contract agree to interact with each other. The main objectives of this article are to evaluate the operations of AI and smart contract, to make comparison between the operations of AI and smart contract. This article concludes that AI and smart contract will have a huge impact in future for Islamic Finance industry.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (22) ◽  
pp. 36-44
Author(s):  
Nor ‘Adha Ab Hamid ◽  
Azizah Mat Rashid ◽  
Mohd Farok Mat Nor

The development of science and technology is always ahead and has no point and seems limitless. Although human beings are the agents who started this development but eventually faced with a bitter situation which can sacrifice human moral, right and interest of our future. Shariah criminal offenses nowadays can not only occur or be witnessed by a person in a meeting physically with the perpetrator. As a result of technological developments, such behavior can occur and can be witnessed in general by larger groups. Although the illegal treatment which is not in accordance with sharia law and the moral crisis issues happening surrounding us and is rampant on social media, no enforcement is done on perpetrators who use social media medium. According to sharia principles, something that is wrong should be prevented and it is the responsibility of all Muslim individuals. But what is happening today, some Shariah criminal behavior, especially in relation to ethics, can occur easily using facilities technology driven by technological ingenuity. If the application of existing legal provisions is limited and has obstacles for enforcement purposes, then the problem needs to be overcome due to development the law should be in line with current developments. The study aims to identify a segment and cases of the moral crisis on social media and online using the artificial intelligence (AI) application and to identify the needs for shariah prevention. This thesis uses qualitative approaches, adopts library-based research, and, by content analysis of documents, applies the literature review approach. The findings show that the use of social media and AI technology has had an impact on various issues such as moral crisis, security, misuse, an intrusion of personal data, and the construction of AI beyond human control. Thus, the involvement and cooperation of various parties are needed in regulating and addressing issues that arise as a result of the use of social media and AI technology in human life.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A230-A230
Author(s):  
Dima Yackoubov ◽  
Aviad Pato ◽  
Julia Rifman ◽  
Sherri Cohen ◽  
Astar Hailu ◽  
...  

BackgroundNicotinamide (NAM), an allosteric inhibitor of NAD-dependent enzymes, has been shown to preserve cell function and prevent differentiation in ex vivo cell culture. GDA-201 is an investigational natural killer (NK) cell immunotherapy derived from allogeneic donors and expanded using IL-15 and NAM. In previous preclinical studies, NAM led to increased homing and cytotoxicity, preserved proliferation, and enhanced tumor reduction of NK cells. In a phase I clinical trial, treatment with GDA-201 showed tolerability and clinical responses in patients with refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) (Bachanova, et. al., Blood 134:777, 2019). While NAM is known to affect cellular metabolism and participate in 510 enzymatic reactions −in 66 as an inhibitor or activator− its mechanism of action and role in GDA-201 cytotoxicity is unknown.MethodsIn order to define the network of intracellular interactions that leads to the GDA-201 phenotype, flow-cytometry, next generation sequencing (NGS), and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based metabolite quantification were performed on NK cells cultured for 14 days with IL-15 and human serum in the presence or absence of NAM (7 mM). Artificial Intelligence (AI) machine learning analysis was applied by Pomicell in order to analyze the data using the Pomicell databases supporting data extracted from multiple origins including scientific articles organized using natural language processing tools. AI training was done using a combined algorithm designed to blindly explain and predict the transcriptomic and metabolomic (omics) profile.ResultsOmics analyses defined 1,204 differentially expressed genes, and 100 significantly modified metabolites in the presence of NAM. An in silico model was created that successfully predicted the experimental data in 83% of the cases. Upregulation of TIM-3 expression in GDA-201 was predicted to be mediated by inhibition of IL-10 and SIRT3, via CREB1/HLA-G signaling and adrenoceptor beta 2 (ADRB2) upregulation. Adenosine metabolite reduction supports this and suggests dopaminergic activation of NK cytotoxicity. Upregulation of CD62L in the presence of NAM was predicted to be mediated by transcription factor Dp-1 (TFDP1) via dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) activation and intracellular folic acid reduction. Interferon-gamma and CASP3 modulation (via JUN and MCL1, respectively), via PPARa inhibition, support that finding.ConclusionsIn conclusion, AI machine learning of transcriptome and metabolome data revealed multiple pleiotropic metabolic pathways modulated by NAM. These data serve to further elucidate the mechanism by which NAM enhances cell function, leading to the observed cytotoxicity and potency of GDA-201.Ethics ApprovalWe hereby declare that the collection of the Apheresis units in the three participating institutes (sites) has been done under an approved clinical study that meets the following requirements:1. Ethics approval has been obtained from the local EC at each of the sites, prior to any study related activities.2. The working procedures of the EC at the sites for conduct of clinical studies are in due compliance with local regulations (Israeli Ministry of Health) and provisions of Harmonized International Guidelines for Good Clinical Practice, namely: ICH-GCP.3. Sites follow EC conditions & requirements in terms of submissions, notifications, and approval renewals. 4. Participants gave Informed Consent (approved by the EC) before taking part in the study.5. Informed Consent has been approved by the ECs. The Israeli template of Informed Consent is in used and it includes study specific information (e.g. study goal, design, method, duration, risks, etc.). Name of the Institute Name of the EC/IRB EC Study No.Hadassah Medical Center Helsinki Committee 0483-16-HMORambam Health Care Campus Helsinki Committee 0641-18-RMBIchilov Sourasky Medical Center Tel-Aviv Helsinki Committee 0025-17-TLV


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