Perspective Chapter: Accountability and Liability forAI in Healthcare

<jats:p>Artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing at a remarkable pace, poised to revolutionize healthcare by driving greater efficiency, clinical accuracy, and individualized care. However, the legal framework needed to govern these changes remains largely underdeveloped. The adoption of AI in healthcare seems inevitable, especially as the field struggles with repetitive, labor-intensive tasks that increase costs and limit access to care. By automating these processes, AI has the potential to reduce expenses, improve affordability, boost accuracy, and promote personalized medicine. In certain domains, like research and medical imaging, AI may even outperform human experts and set new standards for care. Yet, integrating AI into healthcare also brings significant ethical challenges. These include concerns about data privacy, transparency, explainability, and the control of bias. There are also psychological and emotional issues to consider, such as decreased trust, loss of empathy, and threats to patient autonomy. Arguably, liability is an urgent issue and will likely become central to legal and regulatory discussions. As AI takes on more decision-making roles, healthcare systems may grow increasingly reliant on these technologies, leading to uncertainty around responsibility when adverse outcomes occur. Who should be held accountable: the developer, the institution that implemented the system, the physician who relied on it, or the patient who agreed to its use? This chapter explores these critical questions.</jats:p>