Artificial intelligence (AI) has many potential uses across all industries, including healthcare fields like veterinary medicine. However, despite Al being helpful and revolutionary, questions and ethical concerns are being raised.
Veterinary professionals considering AI technology must carefully consider the risks and benefits before relying on untested technology to assist with clinical decision-making or routine daily tasks. Let’s examine the ethical aspects of AI in veterinary practice.
Although the veterinary profession is generally slow to adopt new technologies, AI already is ubiquitous and hard to avoid. These technologies are trickling into everyday workflows as built-in software features, particularly in diagnostics, communication, and record-keeping. Your favorite apps and software may already use AI-based features to augment functionality. Here’s how:
AI systems don’t work like human brains and, instead, require targeted training using vast amounts of data. Open-source AI tools, such as ChatGPT, can use the data and information you enter for training purposes. The collection, storage, and processing of this data pose significant privacy risks for you, your hospital, and your clients. A data breach could compromise sensitive client or clinic information.
Humans coordinate AI training and feed the relevant information, which means AI can reflect our society’s inherent biases. And, because of AI’s complexity, errors can occur that could translate to patient harm without checks and balances. The accuracy of a particular AI tool depends on its purpose and exact algorithms, and they should continually be evaluated with a healthy sense of skepticism.
Other ethical concerns with AI in veterinary medicine include a potential for new clinicians to rely too heavily on AI to produce diagnostic data and develop differential lists, or other tasks that can only be honed with years of experience. Although less applicable to veterinary medicine, some fear AI will eliminate jobs and put people out of work.
A recent American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) survey found that over 80% of veterinary professionals are familiar with AI, and 30% already use the technology. As AI technologies evolve, their integration into veterinary practices is expected to expand. Advanced uses include pet health personalization using patterns and predictions, AI chatbots, and virtual assistants to enhance client care and diagnostics that predict lymphoma response to chemotherapy.
AI’s future in veterinary medicine is promising. Veterinary schools are expected to incorporate AI training into their curricula to prepare future veterinarians to effectively evaluate and utilize the technology in practice. However, the profession must establish industry-wide standards and regulations to ensure that AI is ethically and effectively implemented.
Veterinary professionals wishing to use AI to assist in diagnostic interpretations, eliminate administrative busywork, and care for their patients at a higher level should follow these best practices:
Understanding the risks and benefits of AI in veterinary medicine and knowing the new technologies must be adopted with caution can help your practice make positive changes without compromising ethical standards.
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