Beyond the binary: navigating AI’s role in palliative ethics-A review

Palliative care is being influenced by artificial intelligence, especially when it comes to data-related aspects. In this context, care can be enhanced in terms of the quality of its results and the level of its efficiency, particularly with the help of technological tools such as artificial intelligence, which is capable of managing different types of information in the field of health care. Such characteristics have the potential to improve the quality of patient care while at the same time reducing the workload of healthcare professionals in palliative care. However, there are considerable ethical issues that need to be addressed with regard to the use of AI in this particular field to ensure that the benefits of the technological advancements are in the best interests of the patients and their human rights. The purpose of this review is to assess the current applications of artificial intelligence in palliative care and critically discuss the benefits in light of emerging ethical issues, particularly in low-resource settings. Some of the issues addressed in the literature include those of bias, data privacy, issues of consent, and the risk of depersonalization, all in the context of the principles of justice, beneficence, non-maleficence, and autonomy. Similarly, the review also identifies the increased challenges associated with the environments, which can be defined by the lack of infrastructure and/or regulation, thereby increasing the aforementioned issues. To address the aforementioned issues, the review suggests the need to develop policy, transparency through explainable AI, ethical auditing, and collaboration to ensure the safe usage of AI in palliative care.