Digital ethics: Algorithmic decisions

The BVDW discussion paper is entitled "Man, Morality, Machine - Digital Ethics, Algorithms and Artificial Intelligence" and addresses the opportunities and risks of current and future technological developments.

Right at the beginning, the authors make it clear that decisions made by algorithms must be transparent in order to be subject to judicial review. In the practical application in the medical field, the experts demand:

Assuming a proven benefit, a contemporary definition of a physician's duty of care must include the use of AI. Conversely, this means:

Physicians would be in breach of their duty of care if they refrained from using AI technology in certain areas where its benefits have been demonstrated.

"Here, of course, the doctor is not to be replaced by software - quite the opposite. It is a valuable aid"

says Wolfgang Faisst (SAP), Vice Chairman of the BVDW Digital Transformation and Internet of Things department.

A doctor will always make the diagnosis, Faisst said.

"But if AI can be shown to help make that diagnosis more accurate than it would be without its use, it would be negligent from a practitioner's perspective not to take advantage of that opportunity."