The National Bioethics Committee of Cyprus and the National Committee on Bioethics and Technoethics of Greece have announced the release of a Joint Opinion on the “Ethics of Predictive Analytics in Health”.
Predictive analytics is an Artificial Intelligence approach aimed at calculating the probability of future life events by using data—both historical and real-time—along with statistical algorithms and machine learning methods.
This Opinion is the first outcome of the Memorandum of Cooperation signed between the two national committees of Greece and Cyprus, and the document is available in both Greek and English.
The Joint Opinion on the Ethics of Predictive Analytics in Health by the National Bioethics Committees of Greece and Cyprus explores the potential and ethical complexities of using predictive analytics in healthcare.
Predictive analytics, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), is used to forecast health outcomes and life events based on historical and real-time data. This approach offers significant benefits, such as early disease detection, precise treatment recommendations, efficient health resource management, and cost savings. However, the document highlights several risks, including data accuracy, representativeness, algorithmic bias, over-reliance on machine predictions, and ethical concerns around individual autonomy and privacy.
The Opinion underscores the need for strict governance, transparency, and a comprehensive regulatory framework to ensure the ethical use of predictive analytics. It advocates establishing a National AI Authority to oversee compliance and ethical standards, along with specialised training for healthcare professionals. Additional recommendations include protocols for patient information, technical transparency, frequent model updates, and strong legislation against “predatory predictions” to protect individuals’ rights and dignity.
Information from: Cyprus National Bioethics Committee
