There's a need for a common international ethics framework for AI

ARTIFICIAL intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)-enabled programmes are key tools being used by governments to craft the healthcare response to the coronavirus pandemic. AI systems have been deployed to improve diagnostic response, enhance epidemiological monitoring and prediction, and develop vaccines.

AI systems have helped develop models to predict individual risks related to Covid-19. According to media reports, in the United States, the Department of Veterans Affairs has used individualised risk scores to allocate medical resources to people who have been infected. In China, during the peak of the pandemic, AI systems trawled through street camera feeds to identify people who had a fever or had broken home quarantine rules.

It is unquestionable that AI systems have been force-multipliers in the fight against Covid-19. At the same time, some disquiet has been expressed by experts who are worried about the potential negative consequences of indiscriminate use of AI programmes. There is increasing worry that the AI tools could exacerbate existing social and structural inequalities that ultimately lead to poor health outcomes for already marginalised communities.