**AI in Ethics Committees: The Future is Now**
**Art Caplan’s Chatbot Obituary Experience**
Art Caplan, a member of the Division of Medical Ethics at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, recently had an interesting encounter with OpenAI’s chatbot. He asked it to write his obituary, and while it did a commendable job, there were some errors. This experience sparked a discussion on the role of AI in ethics committees and human experimentation committees.
**The Role of AI in Ethics Committees**
Caplan believes that AI has a definite place in the future of ethics committees. As chatbots gather more information and legal documents, they can serve as valuable resources for reviewing precedents and legal requirements. However, the question arises whether AI should have a voting role in decision-making processes.
**The Limitations of AI in Ethical Decision-Making**
Despite the potential benefits of AI in ethics committees, Caplan remains skeptical about giving AI a voting role. He highlights the importance of empathy, sympathy, and the ability to navigate complex ethical dilemmas, qualities that AI may not possess at the moment. He emphasizes the need for human mediation and compromise in ethical decision-making processes.
**Looking to the Future**
While AI continues to advance, Caplan suggests that it may not be ready for the nuanced decision-making required in ethics committees. He encourages a cautious approach and invites further exploration of AI’s capabilities in ethical decision-making processes.
As the debate on AI’s role in ethics committees continues, Caplan invites us to revisit the topic in the future to see how AI evolves in its ethical decision-making capabilities.