THE ETHICAL CHALLENGES OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN HEALTHCARE: A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF DECISION-MAKING SYSTEMS AND PATIENT RIGHTS

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming healthcare delivery, offering decision-support systems that enhance diagnostic accuracy, predict patient outcomes, and optimize clinical workflows. However, its adoption raises profound ethical dilemmas related to autonomy, privacy, accountability, bias, and patient rights. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the ethical challenges of AI decision-making systems in healthcare, with a focus on patient rights within modern medical practices. The study highlights the tension between efficiency-driven AI algorithms and patient-centered care, examining issues such as informed consent, algorithmic transparency, data protection, and responsibility allocation in cases of clinical errors. Through an integrative approach combining ethical theory, technological assessment, and patient-centered perspectives, this research underscores the urgent need for regulatory frameworks and governance mechanisms to balance innovation with ethical obligations. The analysis concludes that sustainable integration of AI into healthcare requires transparency, fairness, human oversight, and the safeguarding of fundamental patient rights.