Privacy Concerns of AI in Healthcare

The healthcare industry has recently experienced a rise of artificial intelligence (AI) for medical purposes in the United States. AI requires a quantity of data to provide adequate treatment for patients, which leaves a large pool of patients' personal information vulnerable. With AI comes risks for patients concerning the privacy of their data. Furthermore, when data is compromised, it develops a lack of trust between patients and the healthcare industry. Personal information is compromised by electronic theft, such as hacking and cyberattacks, or by the unauthorized release of information. As these occurrences become prevalent, patients are less likely to want to disclose their personal information in fear that it might be stolen or exposed. Trust is important in the healthcare industry because it promotes "honest communication between the patient and physician, which is essential for quality care,” and information security protects people from being prejudiced, humiliated, or financially harmed from reporting their health condition (Miller, 2021, para. 6). Although government agencies claim that healthcare data is protected through de-identification under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), privacy concerns could potentially pose challenges with the use of AI in healthcare because sensitive patient data is at risk of being breached and misused. This paper explores these concepts