Elena Cruz AI in industry and Society Assignment by Elena Cruz

Personal overview

elenacruz10 — 2025-10-12 23:40:49 UTC

AI has become one of the most transformative forces in modern healthcare, offering unprecedented opportunities to improve diagnoses and patient care as a whole. New algorithms have the capacity to analyze massive amounts of data; from imaging scans to genetic information, faster and more accurately than humans can. However, the integration of AI into healthcare raises ethical concerns for many. Issues of data privacy, and algorithm bias challenge existing principles. For example, if an AI system were to misdiagnose a patient, there is a gray area when determining who is to blame? Was it the software developers or the physician who aided the machine. As the World Health Organization emphasizes, the use of AI in health should always be guided by the principles of human well-being, fairness, and accountability to ensure that technology enhances (not replaces) healthcare.

Healthcare- AI in diagnostic imaging

elenacruz10 — 2025-10-12 23:49:48 UTC

Ai powered diagnostic imaging systems, such as Google's DeepMind and IBM Watson Health use computer vision and deep learning to detects complex diseases such as cancer, pneumonia, and retinal damage in the eye from complex medical scans. Such imaging systems improve accuracy, reduce diagnostic errors and allow earlier treatment interventions. However, some challenges are the limits and transparency, and biased datasets may cause unequal accuracy across diverse groups. I find this use fascinating because it shows AI can help save lives, but it must be ethically monitored to prevent racial or gender bias.

MRI scan with AI analysis

elenacruz10 — 2025-10-12 23:51:38 UTC

Healthcare- AI in drug discovering and Development

elenacruz10 — 2025-10-13 00:10:13 UTC

AI systems like AtomWise and BenevolentAI use machine learning to predict how potential drugs interact with biological targets, drastically reducing the time needed for discovery. These systems are benefical as they reduce drug development costs significantly and accelerates treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer's and COVID-19. However, some challenges include its ethical concerns surrounding reliance on proprietary algorithms and lack of transparency in data sources. I find this especially interesting as a pharmacy technician! This could be promising as AI helps speed up cures, but companies must ensure ethical testing.

AI drug molecule prediction diagram

elenacruz10 — 2025-10-13 00:10:43 UTC

Healthcare- AI in Virtual Nursing Assistants

elenacruz10 — 2025-10-13 00:17:01 UTC

AI- driven virtual nursing assistants (like Sensely and Care Angel) use natural language processing (NLP) and speech recognition to interact with patients and track symptoms. This is a great resource as it increases accessibility to healthcare, reduces hospital readmissions and helps those hospitals who are already overworked. Some challenges that may be encountered are data privacy concerns and limited emotional understanding, making patients uncomfortable and hindering their trust. I find this resource impactful because it personalizes care and bridges a great amount of healthcare gaps that our country sees today.

AI nurse chatbot

elenacruz10 — 2025-10-13 00:18:09 UTC

Future Trends and Ethical ConsiderationsTh

elenacruz10 — 2025-10-13 00:37:50 UTC

The future of AI in healthcare promises to be revolutionary. AI is predicted to become more deeply integrated into patient care, whether its personalized treatment plans to predictive measures that analyze disease before symptoms appear. Advances in natural language processes may also allow AI systems to understand complex medical records which will help doctors do their job more efficiently. In coming years, AI even has the potential to assist in global health surveillance (tracking outbreaks).

However, these advancements are accompanied by ethical challenges. Ensuring patient privacy, preventing algorithm bias, and maintaining human oversight are critical factors. If healthcare AI relies on biased or incomplete data, the inequality in diagnosing patients worsens. Also, questions of accountability arise when AI errors cause harm. Who is responsible, is it the developer, the physician? Who should take the blame and be reprimanded?

My personal opinion is that the key is balance. Technology should be used to enhance healthcare, not replace existing staff. I’m especially concerned about protecting patient data and ensuring equal access to AI benefits worldwide. If monitored responsibly, AI has the potential to make healthcare more precise, efficient, and compassionate, improving millions of lives without sacrificing ethical integrity.

Societal Impact

elenacruz10 — 2025-10-13 01:05:36 UTC

The growing use of AI in healthcare is reshaping society in both promising and challenging ways. AI systems are improving diagnosis accuracy, streamlining hospital workflows leading to better patient outcomes and reduced costs. However, these advancements come with their challenges. One major concern being employment, as AI automates administrative tasks, some healthcare roles may become obsolete, creating uncertainty among job security for nurses, technicians and even physicians. Privacy is another critical issue. AI depends on massive datasets containing sensitive patient information, raising the risk of data breaches and possible misuse. Maintaining strict data protection standards is essential to preserve trust between patients and healthcare providers. Equity also poses a challenge; is AI that is used is being based on biased datasets or are only used in wealthy hospitals, already existing disparities in healthcare may worsen. I believe that AI’s success in healthcare depends on how society manages these ethical and social challenges. I’m intrigued by its potential to expand care in underserved areas, but I’m also cautious about the risks of over reliance and loss of empathy in patient care.

Reflection

elenacruz10 — 2025-10-13 01:39:52 UTC

Researching AI in healthcare has taught me how transformative and complex the technology really is. I learned how machine learning and data analysis can improve patient outcomes, yet also raise serious ethical questions about privacy, bias, and accountability. One challenge I faced was finding balanced sources that addressed both innovation and risk, which I overcame by using academic journals and verified health organization reports. This project also reminded me that technology must always as a positive resource to serve the people. I now see ethical responsibility as just as important as technological advancement in shaping healthcare’s future.

References

elenacruz10 — 2025-10-13 01:44:18 UTC

World Health Organization. (2021). Ethics and governance of artificial intelligence for health. World Health Organization.

This report provides global guidance on ethical AI use in healthcare, making it essential for understanding responsible usage.

Topol, E. (2019). Deep medicine: How artificial intelligence can make healthcare human again. Basic Books.

This book offers an insightful discussion of how AI can enhance, rather than replace, human empathy and judgment in medicine.

Esteva, A., Robicquet, A., Ramsundar, B., Kuleshov, V., DePristo, M., Chou, K., ... & Dean, J. (2019). A guide to deep learning in healthcare. Nature Medicine, 25(1), 24–29. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-018-0316-z

This peer-reviewed article explains specific AI technologies like deep learning and their real-world applications in diagnostics.

Meskó, B., & Topol, E. J. (2023). The imperative of addressing bias in medical artificial intelligence. Nature Medicine, 29(1), 24–26. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-022-02112-7

This article explores bias and fairness in healthcare AI systems, which aligns directly with the ethical issues discussed in my project.

MIT Technology Review. (2023, June). How AI is revolutionizing drug discovery and diagnostics. https://www.technologyreview.com

This article presents current, accessible examples of how AI is reshaping healthcare innovation. This source was useful for illustrating real-world impacts.

2 min preview of overview video

elenacruz10 — 2025-10-27 04:39:42 UTC