Article of the Week: October 20

Ethics of generative AI

Author

Marina Pulini-Franks MD
October 20, 2023

Ethics of generative AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) and its introduction into clinical pathways presents an array of ethical issues that are being discussed in the JME.1–7 The development of AI technologies that can produce text that will pass plagiarism detectors8 and are capable of appearing to be written by a human author9 present new issues for medical ethics. One set of worries concerns authorship and whether it will now be possible to know that an author or student in fact produced submitted work. That seems likely to be a general worry for secondary and higher education, as well as for all academic journals. Thus far generative AI chatbots do not seem to be able to produce a fully referenced and well-argued ethics article, but they probably could generate a blog or student essay that would be hard to detect after very minor edits. Many schools and universities have moved to online forms of assessment, and it seems likely that generative AI might cast doubt on the integrity of them and we might see a reversion to handwritten examinations as a solution. As well as these immediate and perhaps obvious ethical concerns, generative AI highlights conceptual challenges that pose more profound ethical questions. JME is committed to publishing high-quality articles that further the ethical analysis of an issue within healthcare. Some of the content that …

jme.bmj.com/content/49/2/79.abstract?casa_token=9blKmO7siR8AAAAA:vDr4W9lKJ0KnSRGpmUWIz5-ptKvVvUyFNYdmNO7SSyVKCzFV-1dzpTMHNcHKoXgxa4VEki8FBx5OTg

Main Point

The use of generative AI in authorship poses ethical challenges and conceptual questions in the medical ethics domain.

5 Salient Points

  • Ethical Concerns: The introduction of generative AI in clinical pathways raises concerns about authorship integrity, plagiarism detection, and the potential for undermining the credibility of academic work and online assessments.

  • Conceptual Challenges: Generative AI raises profound ethical questions about the nature of ethical analysis. While it can produce ethical arguments and syllogisms, it lacks the nuance, depth, and originality of quality ethics articles, prompting reflections on the role of ethicists and the essence of ethical analysis.

  • Positive Applications: Generative AI might be used positively in authorship, aiding in drafting sections, playing the role of a devil's advocate, and generating counterarguments. It has the potential to assist authors in the writing process, allowing them to focus on higher-level ideas.

  • Global Accessibility: Generative AI's ability to present ideas in idiomatic English could open up authorship opportunities for individuals from non-English speaking regions, potentially promoting diversity in publications. Strong leadership and technological expertise are essential for driving technology adoption in healthcare organizations.

  • Trade-Offs: While generative AI can offer benefits in the writing process, there are concerns about over-reliance leading to missed opportunities for insightful contributions. Additionally, the rise of low-quality manuscripts generated by AI could impact journal markets and require measures to ensure publication standards and credibility.