With the increasing application of AI technology in every field, particularly healthcare, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex body for biomedical research formulation, coordination, and promotion, has released a new document titled Ethical Guidelines for AI in Healthcare and Biomedical Research.

There are several important applications of AI in healthcare, such as in the areas of surgery-assisting robots, diagnosis, finding new links between genetic codes, medical imaging, therapeutics, clinical decision-making, public health surveillance, data analysis, prediction of pandemics, and health management systems.

However, the new document states that AI technology in healthcare must be rigorously validated in terms of both clinical and field data before being used on patients or participants. The document stated that an ethically sound policy framework is necessary to guide AI technologies to ensure that decisions made by AI technologies are ethical and in line with values cherished by humanity.

As a result, the document emphasized ten patient-centric ethical principles for AI applications, such as accountability and liability; autonomy; data privacy; collaboration; risk minimization and safety; accessibility and equity; data quality optimization, non-discrimination and fairness; validity; and trustworthiness.

According to ICMR, AI applications in the medical field must adhere to the same moral standards as any biomedical and medical research involving human subjects. In 2017, the ICMR released its National Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical and Health Research Involving Human Participants. Also, the guidelines issued by the agency are applicable to all healthcare practitioners, emerging technology creators, academics, medical researchers, entrepreneurs, hospitals, and research institutes due to the extensive ramifications of AI-based technologies in healthcare.

The agency claimed that the guidelines will be helpful to anyone who wants to utilize health data for biomedical research and healthcare delivery using AI technology. Furthermore, these guidelines will assist the union government in developing standardized AI norms in the healthcare sector.  

(Source: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/policy/icmr-releases-ethical-guidelines-for-ai-in-healthcare-and-biomedical-research-involving-human-participants/98959772 )