Lunchtime Seminar
Title: Good doctors in the age of AI? Ethics at the intersection of medicine, AI, and Christian theology
Co-organisers:
Medical Ethics and Humanities Unit, HKUMed
Centre for Medical Ethics and Law, HKU
St. John’s College, HKU
Abstract:
AI is a rapidly developing technology, but does it raise fundamentally new ethical questions, or does it push us to renegotiate established ethical insights so we can apply them in a changed situation? How should medical students, doctors and healthcare professionals, and those engaged in medical research use AI? And does using AI challenge our understanding of what it means to act ethically in medical practice?
In our time together I will set out how approaches from Christian ethics can raise questions about the use of AI in medical practice and research. Recognising that medicine is a profession with a longstanding and very well-integrated ethical framework, one which shapes doctors’ understanding of their identity and practice, I will ask what questions we need to consider together as using AI becomes part of medical practice. As a Christian ethicist whose primary research area is in Christian engagement with markets, economics, and public policy, I have a particular interest in issues of moral anthropology, and in the relationships between individual decisions and actions, and their societal impacts. I look forward to bringing these perspectives into conversation with insights from specialists in medicine and medical ethics, and to hearing the reflections of those training for careers in medicine now about how AI will impact their future practice.
Speaker:
Revd Dr Helen Dawes
Principal of Westcott House, Cambridge
St. John’s College Martin Lecturer 2024
The Revd Dr Helen Dawes is Principal of Westcott House, Cambridge. Before joining Westcott House, Helen served in parish ministry in the Church of England dioceses of Ely, St Albans, and Salisbury, and as a member of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s staff team at Lambeth Palace. Helen was Deputy Secretary for Public Affairs to Archbishop Rowan Williams and then Social and Public Affairs Adviser to Archbishop Justin Welby. Helen studied for her PhD at King’s College London and her academic work focuses on the intersection of theology with economic life and public policy. She has wide-ranging interests in Christian engagement in the public square. Prior to ordination, Helen worked in strategic and regulatory consulting. She enjoys gardening and singing.
Host:
Prof Julie Chen
Director, Medical Ethics and Humanities Unit, SClinMed
Assistant Dean (Student Wellness & Engagement), HKUMed
Moderator:
Prof Gilberto Leung
Co-Director, Centre for Medical Ethics and Law, HKU
Associate Dean (Teaching & Learning), HKUMed
Discussants:
Prof Carl Hildebrand
Assistant Professor, Medical Ethics & Humanities Unit, SClinMed
Research Fellow, Centre for Medical Ethics and Law, HKU
Prof Gary Lau
Assistant Dean (Education Innovations), HKUMed
Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, SClinMed
Ms Serena Yu
MBBS IV Student, HKUMed
Masters of Science in Bioethics, Harvard Medical School – Intercalation
Welcome to join us!
Enquiry: Please contact Mr Edison Cheng (mehu@hku.hk).
