Opportunity Award to Advance Ethical Integration of AI in Healthcare

The Donaghue Foundation is proud to announce an $800,000 Opportunity Award granted to The Hastings Center to support its innovative project, “Putting Bioethics to Work on AI, Trust, and Health Care: From Theory to Impact through Inclusive Engagement.” This five-year initiative will explore how artificial intelligence (AI) can be integrated into healthcare in ways that foster trust and promote equity.

Artificial intelligence is poised to revolutionize healthcare by enhancing clinical care, improving public health, and accelerating medical research; however, the widespread adoption of AI also raises critical ethical challenges, including issues of trust, bias, and accountability. The Hastings Center’s project seeks to ensure that AI technologies are employed responsibly and equitably while maintaining the trustworthiness of healthcare systems and providers.

Led by Dr. Vardit Ravitsky, President and CEO of The Hastings Center, and Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Gregory Kaebnick, the initiative focuses on three core objectives:

1. Conducting Research: Through interdisciplinary research, the project will address ethical challenges in AI integration, such as algorithmic bias, patient privacy, and equitable access. Specific studies include developing ethical guidelines for AI use in healthcare and examining how AI influences human relationships in clinical settings.
2. Engagement and Dissemination: The Hastings Center will amplify public discourse through events, webinars, and innovative collaborations with institutions like the Museum of Science in Boston. The planned public-facing activities will ensure that research findings reach diverse audiences, including policymakers, healthcare professionals, and the general public.
3. Measuring Impact: The Center will develop tools and methodologies to evaluate the influence of bioethics research on public understanding and policy.

This initiative builds on The Hastings Center’s 50-year legacy of addressing ethical issues at the intersection of health, technology, and society. The project will also interact with ongoing national efforts, such as the National Academy of Medicine’s development of an AI Code of Conduct.

“The integration of AI into healthcare holds both promise and peril. Our goal is to ensure that AI not only enhances care but also upholds the values of trust and equity that are central to ethical healthcare,” said Dr. Ravitsky.

Stay tuned for updates on this exciting initiative.