Humble AI for 22nd century medicine

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly important role in medicine. We examine the current trends in the evolution of this role and attempt to understand how it may develop over the next two hundred years, as the very nature of human existence may be altered. We are concerned with weaknesses in the AI development and deployment processes, in particular with lapses in the use of AI evaluation methodology and in the tendency of both humans and AI systems to accept unquestioningly the conclusions reached by such systems. We posit the need for a “humble” AI aware of its own limitations and of the limitations of its ambit. Without serious attention to these aspects of AI, it may come to represent an existential threat to our species. We reference examples from popular culture to illustrate these concerns.