Professors Discuss Ethical Implications for Artificial Intelligence in Health Care Across Idaho

In a series of invited presentations over the last year, Idaho State University professors Dr. Bob Houghton and Dr. Christopher Owens have been at the forefront of discussions on the practical and ethical implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in health care. Their talks, delivered to key stakeholders across the state, sparked interest and debate about the future of health care and were well received with many comments and questions from attendees –as well as a number of concerns for the future.

Presentations were given at the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce's Healthcare Industry Board meeting, Optum Idaho, the Employers' Health Coalition of Idaho, and the Idaho Healthcare Conference. The collaborative approach to the topic combined Dr. Houghton's expertise in informatics and cybersecurity with Dr. Owens' background in clinical practice and health care ethics.

"The integration of AI into health care represents a paradigm shift in how we approach patient care, medical research, and health care operations," said Owens. "While there is much we still don’t fully appreciate, our goal with these presentations was to highlight both the immense potential and the important ethical considerations that come with this technological revolution."

Houghton traced the development of AI from early reactive systems to more sophisticated machine learning models. "Understanding the evolution of AI is crucial to grasping its current capabilities and limitations," he explained. He also highlighted distinctions between narrow AI, which excels at specific tasks, and the still-theoretical general AI that could rival human-level cognition.

Owens emphasized the transformative potential of AI in areas such as medical imaging analysis and drug discovery as well as the more day-to-day aspects of incorporating AI into billing, scheduling, and other health care-related administrative tasks.

"AI algorithms can analyze medical images with a level of precision and speed that may significantly enhance early detection of diseases and they’re already used for these purposes, but AI’s most immediate applications will likely be in streamlining health care scheduling, planning, billing, charting, and other operational functions,” Owens explained.

Audience members at each event were particularly intrigued by the ethical implications of AI in health care. Questions arose about patient consent for AI-assisted diagnoses, the accountability for AI-driven medical errors, and the potential exacerbation of health care disparities due to biased algorithms. One of the most frequently asked questions during their presentations was whether AI would replace health care workers.

Owens addressed this concern by stating: "While AI will certainly change the landscape of health care jobs, it's more likely to augment human capabilities rather than replace them entirely. The goal is to free up health care professionals to focus on tasks that require human empathy, complex decision-making, and interpersonal skills."

"These kinds of issues will require ongoing dialogue and collaboration between technologists, health care providers, ethicists, and policymakers," Owens emphasized. "We need to ensure that as we harness the power of AI, we do so in a way that prioritizes patient well-being, privacy, and equitable access to care."

The talks also highlighted the potential of AI to improve health care accessibility, particularly in rural areas. They discussed how AI-powered telemedicine platforms could bring specialized care to underserved communities and how predictive analytics could help health care systems better allocate resources to where they’re needed most.

The response to the presentation series was overwhelmingly positive, with many attendees expressing appreciation for the complexities surrounding AI in health care and thanking the presenters for their clear, balanced, and insightful look at AI, including explanations of aspects that many had heard of, but didn’t know much about.

As AI continues to evolve and be integrated into health care systems, communication regarding the appropriate place of AI in the health care landscape is critical. Efforts to educate our students as well as engage stakeholders across Idaho is an ongoing priority and Idaho State University is committed to being at the forefront of these discussions that will shape the future of health care.