Research Ethics Committees and the Challenges of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health research is becoming increasingly common and has the potential to transform how research is conducted, both in its scientific and ethical dimensions. This poses new challenges for Research Ethics Committees (RECs), which currently have few specific regulatory guidelines on this matter. This article, in addition to providing an overview of the regulatory landscape regarding the use of AI in biomedical research, offers ethical guidance concerning (1) the ethical oversight of studies that employ AI applications in health, and (2) the use of AI for preparing or reviewing the ethical aspects of a research project. Regarding the first point, the article proposes an application of the traditional ethical framework of research ethics to the context of studies that use AI applications, structuring the analysis around Emanuel et al.’s principles for ethical research. Regarding the second point, it argues that the use of AI by researchers or RECs for the ethical analysis of research projects is ethically problematic, as it risks depersonalizing and undermining the ethical responsibility that must underpin all research involving human beings.