Ethical considerations in the early detection of Alzheimer's disease using speech and AI

Abstract

While recent studies indicate that AI could play an important role in detecting early signs of Alzheimer's disease in speech, this use of data from individuals with cognitive decline raises numerous ethical concerns. In this paper, we identify and explain concerns related to autonomy (including consent, depersonalization and disclosure), privacy and data protection (including the handling of personal content and medical information), welfare (including distress, discrimination and reliability), transparency (including the interpretability of language features and AI-based decision-making for developers and clinicians), and fairness (including bias and the distribution of benefits). Our aim is to not only raise awareness of the ethical concerns posed by the use of AI in speech-based Alzheimer's detection, but also identify ways in which these concerns might be addressed. To this end, we conclude with a list of suggestions that could be incorporated into ethical guidelines for researchers and clinicians working in this area.