Why the State Should Regulate Artificial Intelligence in Health: Commercial Determinants of Capitalist Algorithmic Degradation And Artificial Intelligence Clinical Applications

Abstract

This article aimed to describe the characteristics by which the development of ar tificial intelligence in clinical applications cannot be isolated from the general process followed by other income extraction mechanisms already practiced in digital technology platforms in other domains. The method utilized was a synthetic review of recent academic and journalistic literature, analyzing the mechanisms of the relationship between profit concentration and algorithmic degradation in various fields, including health. The results showed that these capitalist mechanisms inevitably lead to adjusting or tuning the algorithms and selecting the results to maximize the returns for capital. The logic behind technology corporations leads inexorably to a progressive process in which the best interests of patients must be put aside whenever there are good commercial reasons. This process is independent of the good intentions and altruism of health startups. In conclusion, without the active participation of the State, the ecosystem for generating digital health solutions will inevitably degrade in order to favor the extraction of income while harming the patients’ interests.