Journal Club Article: Tan, S. C., Modra, L., & Hensman, T. (2025). AI ethics for the everyday intensivist. Critical Care and Resuscitation, 27(2), 100115.

The primary theme revolves around the potential of AI to enhance ICU efficiency and patient outcomes. There is a critical need to address ethical concerns before widespread adoption. The authors propose a framework built on the four traditional pillars of biomedical ethics. These are beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice. They also add a crucial fifth pillar: explicability(understandability)- the unique opacity of modern AI systems (e.g., deep learning) makes it difficult to understand how recommendations are derived, posing a unique challenge.

Although AI holds “great potential to improve patient care in ICU,” its ethical implementation is paramount. Many AI tools have “underperformed when translated into real-world ICU settings”. This is often due to biased training data, lack of external validation, or poor alignment with clinical goals. However, “some AI models have shown promise when developed and evaluated responsibly.” Therefore, investment in ethical AI implementation is crucial. It is necessary to safeguard patients and clinicians while harnessing the benefits of this technology.