Ravitsky Explores the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Health Care on Radio Show

Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky appeared on Doctor Radio Reports on SiriusXM on June 4, sharing her insights on AI in healthcare and other bioethics topics. When asked if she believes AI will ever function autonomously without human clinicians, Ravitsky mentioned that she could foresee healthcare providers being tempted to assign increasingly complex tasks to AI, such as note-taking during medical appointments, offering diagnoses, and recommending next steps. However, she expressed caution about allowing AI to perform these tasks without any human supervision.

Ravitsky emphasized the importance of resisting the urge to grant full autonomy to AI in healthcare settings. She believes it is crucial for human clinicians to maintain a level of oversight to ensure patient safety and ethical practice. The discussion also touched on other bioethics issues, including ethical concerns surrounding assisted reproductive technologies, the legalization of medical aid-in-dying in various U.S. states and Canada, and The Hastings Center’s efforts to promote diversity in the field of bioethics.

Listeners can catch a segment of Ravitsky’s interview with host Marc Siegel and guest co-host Art Caplan, who is a fellow and advisory council member at The Hastings Center. The conversation shed light on the complexities of integrating AI into healthcare while maintaining ethical standards and the importance of ongoing discussions surrounding bioethics.