On Monday, 2 June at 16:15 an English-language colloquium will take place at the University of Tartu Delta Centre (Narva mnt 18–1008) and on Zoom, discussing the adoption of generative AI in medicine as a large-scale social experiment. The presentation will highlight the need for ethical conditions that support responsible and gradual implementation.
The presentation „Generative AI in Medicine is a Social Experiment“ will be given by Robert Ranisch, Junior Professor of Medical Ethics at the EthicsLab of the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Potsdam.
Colloquium summary
„The rapid integration of generative AI, particularly large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, has triggered significant transformations in healthcare, unlocking novel opportunities and posing profound ethical challenges. Drawing on insights from a recent systematic review, this talk highlights the ongoing phase of widespread experimentation and exploratory use of generative AI technologies in medicine — an unprecedented departure from the traditionally rigorous testing and regulatory oversight in medical AI development. I propose that the current deployment of generative AI constitutes a large-scale social experiment. Given the inherent unpredictability of outcomes from this experiment, I argue that ethical attention must shift from ethical foresight analysis toward establishing conditions for responsible experimentation. This includes implementing incremental learning strategies and gradual adoption processes, which effectively balance innovation with necessary ethical protections.“
Open series of colloquia in spring 2025
This colloquium is part of the Susimetsa Philosophicum Residency Programme, where the residents present the results of their research projects. The colloquium is organised by the Department of Philosophy, the Centre for Ethics of the University of Tartu, and the Estonian Centre of Excellence in AI (EXAI).
The colloquium is supported by the Ministry of Education and Research Centres of Excellence grant TK213 (Estonian Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence (EXAI)) and the NGO Prof. Dr. Theda Rehbock’s Susimetsa Philosophicum.