Invigorating Ubuntu Ethics in AI for healthcare: Enabling equitable care.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare has the potential to improve patient outcomes and increase efficiency in the delivery of care. However, the design, deployment and use of AI in healthcare must be guided by a set of ethical principles that prioritize the well-being of patients and the community, and ensure that care is delivered equitably. A growing body of literature on algorithmic injustice illustrates that AI systems in healthcare have the potential to cause social harm, especially to vulnerable communities. Existing ethical principles in healthcare are based on, and mostly influenced by, Western epistemology, which emphasizes individual rights, often at the expense of collective well-being. The African philosophy of Ubuntu, which emphasises the interconnectedness and interdependence of all people, is an attractive framework for addressing ethical concerns in AI for healthcare because healthcare is intrinsically a community-wide issue. This paper discusses the relevance of Ubuntu ethics in the context of AI for healthcare and proposes principles to reinvigorate the spirit of "I am because we are" in design, deployment and use. These principles are fairness, community good, safeguarding humanity, respect for others and trust, and we believe their application will support co-designing, deploying and using inclusive AI systems that will enable clinicians to deliver equitable care for all. Highlighting the relational aspect of Ubuntu, this paper not only calls for rethinking AI ethics in healthcare but also endorses discussions about the need for non-Western ethical approaches to be utilised in AI ethics more broadly.