Managing Vulnerability: Cross-Sector Reflections on the Ethics and Equity Implications of AI Use Among Young Adults with Chronic Conditions

Proceedings, co-authored by young adults with chronic conditions and published in Frontiers in Digital Health, outline a roundtable convened by Generation Patient. A multi-stakeholder learning community discussed artificial intelligence use in health care at the seventh roundtable in a series focused on young adults with chronic conditions.

The proceedings note that while the use of AI tools may help ease administrative and emotional burden for young adults with chronic conditions transitioning into adult care, roundtable participants raised concerns about data protection, equity, and accuracy of AI-generated information. Participants also drew attention to generative AI’s tendency to be agreeable to its users’ inputs, which can impact mental health both positively and negatively.

The roundtable participants recommended that AI developers work collaboratively with users and health equity experts to build safer, healthier, and more equitable AI tools. They also recommended broadening the definition of “medical device” to include AI tools that process health-related data, increasing the scope of the federal government’s obligation to regulate these tools and protect patients.