The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Improving the Public Health Care Delivery System in India: A Legal-Ethical Audit

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized healthcare by addressing infrastructural inadequacies, doctor shortages, and inaccessibility. Other than enhancing diagnostics, data analysis, trend analysis, and precision medicine, AI has been instrumental in various hospital settings, from patient triage to cancer detection. However, this valuable asset has far-fetching legal and ethical implications, necessitating a robust legal framework for regulating AI-powered healthcare. This paper suggests an audit mechanism and examines the future trajectory of AI-augmented healthcare in India. The existing literature (2018-2025) on the intersection of AI and healthcare, available on PubMed, SCOPUS, and legal databases, was reviewed from the perspective of legal and ethical issues. Patient outcomes can potentially be improved with AI complementing doctor's expertise. However, given the inexplicability of AI systems and "Black Box" problem, doctors, ethicists, programmers, and other stakeholders in AI development are often at a crossroads. A review of the existing literature reveals their common concerns: (i) understanding "intelligence" and "computation"; (ii) the question of informed consent in data collection, use, and processing; (iii) the changing dynamics and challenges to the doctor-patient relationship with increasing AI integration; (iv) accountability for errors in AI-generated outputs. The potential benefits of AI must be balanced against legal and ethical issues to guard against the harmful effects of uncritical use. We suggest that a legal framework developed in this context should be informed to facilitate access and equity through AI-powered healthcare. Considering the "superhuman" and "subhuman" traits of AI, regulation should encourage the development of AI systems that <i>augment</i>, rather than replace, human effort.

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