About this Research Topic
The increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into public health has sparked profound ethical and legal discussions. AI promises to revolutionize healthcare delivery, from early diagnostics to resource allocation, but it also raises concerns about data privacy, bias, and equitable access. As AI systems become more central to health policies and practices, there is a growing need for frameworks that address their ethical implications, especially in terms of patient rights and health disparities. Understanding how AI influences public health from legal and ethical perspectives is critical to fostering trust and safeguarding individuals’ rights in the era of digital health.
This Research Topic aims to address the urgent need to balance AI innovation with privacy protection and ethical accountability in public health. While AI holds the potential to improve health outcomes and operational efficiencies, its application comes with challenges, particularly in handling sensitive health data and mitigating algorithmic biases. The goal is to explore frameworks for responsible AI governance, ensuring that AI tools in healthcare are transparent, accountable, and equitable. Recent advances, such as the AI ACT (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) provide starting points for debate, but there are still unresolved issues concerning AI’s role in exacerbating or alleviating health disparities.
This Research Topic invites contributions that explore the legal, ethical, and societal dimensions of AI in public health. We encourage papers that address:
• AI governance in healthcare, including regulatory and ethical frameworks
• The implications of AI on health equity and disparities
• Legal perspectives on data privacy and patient rights in AI-driven healthcare
• Case studies on AI applications in public health and their societal impacts
• The role of AI in managing global health crises (e.g. pandemics)
Submissions may include original research, reviews, case studies, and legal analyses. We aim to bring together diverse perspectives to build a comprehensive understanding of AI’s ethical and legal implications in modern healthcare systems.
This Research Topic aims to address the urgent need to balance AI innovation with privacy protection and ethical accountability in public health. While AI holds the potential to improve health outcomes and operational efficiencies, its application comes with challenges, particularly in handling sensitive health data and mitigating algorithmic biases. The goal is to explore frameworks for responsible AI governance, ensuring that AI tools in healthcare are transparent, accountable, and equitable. Recent advances, such as the AI ACT (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) provide starting points for debate, but there are still unresolved issues concerning AI’s role in exacerbating or alleviating health disparities.
This Research Topic invites contributions that explore the legal, ethical, and societal dimensions of AI in public health. We encourage papers that address:
• AI governance in healthcare, including regulatory and ethical frameworks
• The implications of AI on health equity and disparities
• Legal perspectives on data privacy and patient rights in AI-driven healthcare
• Case studies on AI applications in public health and their societal impacts
• The role of AI in managing global health crises (e.g. pandemics)
Submissions may include original research, reviews, case studies, and legal analyses. We aim to bring together diverse perspectives to build a comprehensive understanding of AI’s ethical and legal implications in modern healthcare systems.
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Public Health, Bioethics, Data Privacy, Health Disparities
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
