Social Europe

politics, economy and employment & labour

  • Themes
    • A ‘manifesto’ for 2024
    • Global cities
    • Strategic autonomy
    • War in Ukraine
    • European digital sphere
    • Recovery and resilience
  • Publications
    • Books
    • Dossiers
    • Occasional Papers
    • Research Essays
    • Brexit Paper Series
  • Podcast
  • Videos
  • Newsletter
  • Membership

Artificial intelligence, healthcare and the pandemic

Selin Sayek-Böke 5th June 2020

The coronavirus crisis demands a regulatory framework for the application of AI to protect public health without jeopardising human rights.

AI and healthcare
Selin Sayek Böke

Our world has been shaken by the Covid-19 pandemic, pushing policy-makers to scramble for solutions. And even though the full set of such solutions remains elusive, already a return to normal is debated. 

But what will this ‘normal’ be? Powerful forces presume that the world before Covid-19 is the normal to which to return and it falls on progressives to push for new fundamentals—to help formulate a ‘new’ normal. Clearly this is multifaceted and one facet is the role of technology. 

Undeniable role

Artificial intelligence, as a revolutionary force in restructuring production and consumption patterns, has long been on the agenda of policy-makers. The role of AI, as a creative but disruptive process in the job market, in healthcare, in education—even in shaping our democracies—is undeniable. 

Given the health focus of the continuing crisis, overcoming the regulatory, ethical and medical challenges posed by the use of AI in healthcare must be a priority. Defining the framework to do so will be a pivotal initial step in guaranteeing that the new normal produces a fair outcome—that fundamental rights are safeguarded while simultaneously improving healthcare for all. 

If supported by adequate and effective regulation, AI promises a wide array of opportunities to improve public health as well as the quality and efficiency of the healthcare sector. Without such a framework, AI has the potential to be just another instrument in a system where rights are sidelined for profit maximisation and biases are reproduced systemically.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is preparing a number of reports on the implications of AI. As rapporteur on AI in healthcare, I must point to existing Council of Europe legal instruments—such as the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Dignity of the Human Being with regard to the Application of Biology and Medicine (the Oviedo convention) and the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to the Automatic Processing of Personal Data—as guides for national regulatory efforts.


Become a Social Europe Member


Support independent publishing and progressive ideas by becoming a Social Europe member for less than 5 Euro per month. Your support makes all the difference!


Click here to become a member

Tracking and tracing

Clearly AI has played a critical role in the initial detection of the pandemic. It has been used in tracking the spread of disease and hospital capacity, in identifying high-risk patients and in developing drugs and, potentially, a vaccine. Maybe the most visible public debate regarding AI in healthcare has been over ‘testing and tracing’ apps, which have been claimed as important tools to control the spread of the virus and provide valuable information to design strategies for exit from lockdown. 

AI’s highly promising potential for the future of public health in Europe is however not the only reality which the pandemic has laid bare. It has offered a stark reminder of socio-economic inequalities—of the need to restrain over-marketisation and regulate markets, and to govern potential conflicts between ethical principles and market forces. 

The lasting legacy of neoliberalism is manifested most notably in privatised healthcare and highly precarious job markets. This has aggravated the consequences of the pandemic, particularly for working people, for the unemployed and for the precariat. The unequal social and economic structures established and reinforced under neoliberal hegemony impede our capacity to address the challenges it has thrown up. 

Equally, had there been a trusted and well-defined regulatory framework, maybe AI could have had a much larger positive impact on the coronavirus crisis. The public’s concern regarding the misuse and abuse of data by states, as well as the private sector, would have been mitigated.

Totalitarian drift

We need to set a new framework capable of creating social benefits from AI while safeguarding fundamental rights and democratic governance and ensuring equality. These questions fit snugly into the debate as to what the ‘new’ normal will be: will the means of surveillance for the sake of health purposes accelerate a totalitarian drift or will they be governed by an empowered citizenry? And will isolationist reflexes deepen or will multilateralism, co-operation and solidarity rise to the challenge? 

These questions are relevant to any discussion of AI and healthcare—the former to a regulatory framework that will ensure protection of human rights, the latter to whether AI in healthcare will be driven by co-operation and solidarity or, in their absence, profit-seeking objectives. 

Evidently, health and personal privacy can never be alternatives—they must go hand in hand. Public trust in the state and the private sector can only prevail if all their agents guarantee basic human rights in developing and using AI. 

Given the urgency of doing so in the struggle against the coronavirus, it is of utmost importance to agree on at least a workable basic framework that will enhance trust and make AI operational for the better. And the Covid-19 outbreak has shed light on its critical aspects.

Empowering citizens

Such a framework should ensure that AI in healthcare empowers citizens in making better-informed decisions and provides information to hold governments accountable for the decisions they make. So that AI does not become instrumental in aggravating inequalities, it should also ensure that data and algorithms are unbiased, and that processes are transparent and inclusive. 

It should be based on well-defined liability and a well-balanced public-private dialogue. It should put in place the conditions and guarantees to ensure that pursuing the collective interest does not override individual rights. It should require that technology used for monitoring and tracking is only used temporarily and does not become a permanent feature. 

When the new regulatory framework is designed, the point of departure should be recognition of access to healthcare and protection of personal data and privacy as fundamental, indispensable rights. Technology-driven opportunities such as AI should be incorporated into healthcare systems in ways that guarantees equal access while safeguarding those rights. Only then will we not only overcome this pandemic but ensure we are ready to tackle the next one better. 

CHP,Republican People's Party,Istanbul convention,Turkey
Selin Sayek-Böke

Selin Sayek-Böke is secretary general of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe. She previously held assistant, visiting and associate professor roles respectively in economics at the universities of Bentley, Georgetown and Bilkent and worked for the International Monetary Fund and with the World Bank.

You are here: Home / Politics / Artificial intelligence, healthcare and the pandemic

About Selin Sayek-Böke

Selin Sayek-Böke is secretary general of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe. She previously held assistant, visiting and associate professor roles respectively in economics at the universities of Bentley, Georgetown and Bilkent and worked for the International Monetary Fund and with the World Bank.

Most Popular Posts

new world order,state,citizen A new world order: from warring states to citizensPaul Mason
Tesla,IF Metall,electric car,union US electric-car maker faces Swedish union shockGerman Bender
Israel,Hamas Israel and Hamas: the debasement of discourseRobert Misik
Israel-Palestine,refugee,refugees Israel-Palestine: a comparative perspectiveBo Rothstein
Germany,sick,economic Germany’s true economic diseasePeter Bofinger

Most Recent Posts

AI Act,trilogue,AI,artificial intelligence The AI Act: deregulation in disguiseAida Ponce Del Castillo
liberal socialism,liberalism,socialism,hegemonic The idea of a liberal socialismBo Rothstein
Europe,constitutional reform,EU,governance European constitutional reform hangs in the balanceGuido Montani
treaty changes,EU,European Parliament Treaty changes for an EU that works for citizensGabriele Bischoff
human security,Europe,investment,military Investing in human security in EuropeChiara Bonaiuti

Other Social Europe Publications

Global cities cover pdf Global cities
strategic autonomy Strategic autonomy
Bildschirmfoto 2023 05 08 um 21.36.25 scaled 1 RE No. 13: Failed Market Approaches to Long-Term Care
front cover Towards a social-democratic century?
Cover e1655225066994 National recovery and resilience plans

Eurofound advertisement

How will Europe’s green transition impact employment?

Climate-change objectives and decarbonisation measures are vital for the future of Europe. But how will these objectives affect employment and the labour market?

In the latest episode of the Eurofound Talks podcast series, Mary McCaughey speaks with the Eurofound senior research manager John Hurley about new research which shows a marginal increase in net employment from EU decarbonisation measures—but also potentially broad shifts in the labour market which could have a profound impact in several areas.


LISTEN HERE

Foundation for European Progressive Studies Advertisement

New Progressive Post magazine available!

In this new edition of the Progressive Post, the Special Coverage looks at EU fiscal rules, particularly at the long-awaited proposal to reform EU fiscal governance which was presented by the European Commission in April. The plan aimed to address the shortcomings of the current framework, promote growth and sustainability and reduce high public debt ratios but it lacks ambition. It falls short of enabling the green and social transition, and lacks instruments to improve the democratic legitimacy and transparency of the decision-making process.

The Focus is dedicated to Turkey, a heavyweight of the European neighbourhood, an EU candidate country—but one with which the EU has a progressively deteriorating relationship. One Dossier looks at Latin America, whose nations are increasingly breaking free from the traditional alignment of their foreign policy with more powerful allies in the northern hemisphere. The other Dossier on progressive cities in Europe offers a range of examples from European cities where a transformation towards sustainability is currently taking place concretely and on the ground, thanks to the vision and ambition of progressive administrations.

Discover the Progressive Post website and stay tuned!


DOWNLOAD HERE

Hans Böckler Stiftung Advertisement

WSI European Collective Bargaining Report 2022 / 2023

With real wages falling by 4 per cent in 2022, workers in the European Union suffered an unprecedented loss in purchasing power. The reason for this was the rapid increase in consumer prices, behind which nominal wage growth fell significantly. Meanwhile, inflation is no longer driven by energy import prices, but by domestic factors. The increased profit margins of companies are a major reason for persistent inflation. In this difficult environment, trade unions are faced with the challenge of securing real wages—and companies have the responsibility of making their contribution to returning to the path of political stability by reducing excess profits.


DOWNLOAD HERE

ETUI advertisement

Response measures to the energy crisis: a missed opportunity to feed the socio-ecological contract

With winter coming and Europe ready to get through it without energy shortages, power cuts and recession, new research conducted by the ETUI in seven EU member states (AT-FR-DE-GR-IT-PL-ES) highlights that, with some 80 per cent of spending being directed to broad-based measures, short-term national government support during the recent energy crisis was poorly targeted. As a result, both social- and climate-policy goals were rather sidelined, with the biggest beneficiaries of public fossil-fuel subsidies being higher income groups and the wealthiest people.


AVAILABLE HERE

Friedrich Ebert Stiftung advertisement

It‘s all about jobs: investing in Europe’s workers and qualifications for a competitive clean economy

An ecological miracle on the labour market? Or rather job losses? The impact on employment and job profiles in Europe of ecological modernisation is a question driving politics and society.

We have taken a close look at studies and forecasts on the development of the European labour market. One thing is clear: without qualified and motivated workers, the economy will not flourish and the modernisation process will come to a standstill. Europe must deliver on a massive scale in the coming years to remain at the forefront.

We spoke to trade unionists and experts: what trends do we need to shape, what risks do we need to avoid, what course do we need to set now? Key findings in this study from FES Just Climate.


DOWNLOAD HERE

About Social Europe

Our Mission

Article Submission

Membership

Advertisements

Legal Disclosure

Privacy Policy

Copyright

Social Europe Archives

Search Social Europe

Themes Archive

Politics Archive

Economy Archive

Society Archive

Ecology Archive

Follow us

RSS Feed

Follow us on LinkedIn

Follow us on YouTube

Social Europe ISSN 2628-7641