This paper examines the ethics of introducing emerging forms of artificial intelligence (AI) into prenatal and pediatric genomic medicine. Application of genomic AI to these early life settings has not received much attention in the ethics literature. We focus on three contexts: (1) prenatal genomic sequencing for possible fetal abnormalities, (2) rapid genomic sequencing for critically ill children, and (3) reanalysis of genomic data obtained from children for diagnostic purposes. The paper identifies and discusses various ethical issues in the possible application of genomic AI in these settings, especially as they relate to concepts of beneficence, nonmaleficence, respect for autonomy, justice, transparency, accountability, privacy, and trust. The examination will inform the ethically sound introduction of genomic AI in early human life.
Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI); Children; Ethics; Genomics; Pediatrics; Prenatal medicine.
© 2023. The Author(s).