IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jftint/v13y2021i5p132-d556551.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Trust, but Verify: Informed Consent, AI Technologies, and Public Health Emergencies

Author

Listed:
  • Brian Pickering

    (IT Innovation, Electronics and Computing, University of Southampton, University Road, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK)

Abstract

To use technology or engage with research or medical treatment typically requires user consent: agreeing to terms of use with technology or services, or providing informed consent for research participation, for clinical trials and medical intervention, or as one legal basis for processing personal data. Introducing AI technologies, where explainability and trustworthiness are focus items for both government guidelines and responsible technologists, imposes additional challenges. Understanding enough of the technology to be able to make an informed decision, or consent, is essential but involves an acceptance of uncertain outcomes. Further, the contribution of AI-enabled technologies not least during the COVID-19 pandemic raises ethical concerns about the governance associated with their development and deployment. Using three typical scenarios—contact tracing, big data analytics and research during public emergencies—this paper explores a trust-based alternative to consent. Unlike existing consent-based mechanisms, this approach sees consent as a typical behavioural response to perceived contextual characteristics. Decisions to engage derive from the assumption that all relevant stakeholders including research participants will negotiate on an ongoing basis. Accepting dynamic negotiation between the main stakeholders as proposed here introduces a specifically socio–psychological perspective into the debate about human responses to artificial intelligence. This trust-based consent process leads to a set of recommendations for the ethical use of advanced technologies as well as for the ethical review of applied research projects.

Suggested Citation

  • Brian Pickering, 2021. "Trust, but Verify: Informed Consent, AI Technologies, and Public Health Emergencies," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-20, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jftint:v:13:y:2021:i:5:p:132-:d:556551
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-5903/13/5/132/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-5903/13/5/132/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ajzen, Icek, 1991. "The theory of planned behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 179-211, December.
    2. Bill McEvily & Vincenzo Perrone & Akbar Zaheer, 2003. "Trust as an Organizing Principle," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 14(1), pages 91-103, February.
    3. Frantz Rowe & Ojelanki Ngwenyama & Jean-Loup Richet, 2020. "Contact-tracing apps and alienation in the age of COVID-19," Post-Print hal-02976045, HAL.
    4. Katherine J. Stewart, 2003. "Trust Transfer on the World Wide Web," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 14(1), pages 5-17, February.
    5. Laith T. Khrais, 2020. "Role of Artificial Intelligence in Shaping Consumer Demand in E-Commerce," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-14, December.
    6. Rajagopal, 2014. "The Human Factors," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Architecting Enterprise, chapter 9, pages 225-249, Palgrave Macmillan.
    7. Rose Wiles & Graham Crow & Vikki Charles & Sue Heath, 2007. "Informed Consent and the Research Process: Following Rules or Striking Balances?," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 12(2), pages 99-110, March.
    8. Carlos Miguel Ferreira & Sandro Serpa, 2018. "Informed Consent in Social Sciences Research: Ethical Challenges," International Journal of Social Science Studies, Redfame publishing, vol. 6(5), pages 13-23, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Rongbin Yang & Santoso Wibowo, 2022. "User trust in artificial intelligence: A comprehensive conceptual framework," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 32(4), pages 2053-2077, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bilgihan, Anil & Barreda, Albert & Okumus, Fevzi & Nusair, Khaldoon, 2016. "Consumer perception of knowledge-sharing in travel-related Online Social Networks," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 287-296.
    2. Jia Guo & Yusak Susilo & Constantinos Antoniou & Anna Pernestål Brenden, 2020. "Influence of Individual Perceptions on the Decision to Adopt Automated Bus Services," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-13, August.
    3. Jabori Shanawi Abdulsahib* & Bilal Eneizan & Anas Salman Alabboodi, 2019. "Environmental Concern, Health Consciousness and Purchase Intention of Green Products: An Application of Extended Theory of Planned Behavior," The Journal of Social Sciences Research, Academic Research Publishing Group, vol. 5(4), pages 868-880, 04-2019.
    4. Donmez, Birsen & Matson, Zannah & Savan, Beth & Farahani, Ellie & Photiadis, David & Dafoe, Joanna, 2014. "Interruption management and office norms: Technology adoption lessons from a product commercialization study," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 34(6), pages 741-750.
    5. Ketelaar, Paul E. & Bernritter, Stefan F. & van Woudenberg, Thabo J. & Rozendaal, Esther & Konig, Ruben P. & Hühn, Arief Ernst & Van Gisbergen, Marnix S. & Janssen, Loes, 2018. "“Opening” location-based mobile ads: How openness and location congruency of location-based ads weaken negative effects of intrusiveness on brand choice," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 277-285.
    6. Oguz YILDIZ & Hakan KITAPCI, 2018. "Exploring Factors Affecting Consumers¡¯ Adoption of Shopping via Mobile Applications in Turkey," International Journal of Marketing Studies, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 10(2), pages 60-75, June.
    7. Antonio Paone & Jean-Philippe Bacher, 2018. "The Impact of Building Occupant Behavior on Energy Efficiency and Methods to Influence It: A Review of the State of the Art," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-19, April.
    8. Chen Wei, 2021. "The influence of Consumers’ Purchase intention on Smart Wearable Device: A study of Consumers in East China," International Journal of Science and Business, IJSAB International, vol. 5(8), pages 46-72.
    9. Rajković, Borislav & Đurić, Ivan & Zarić, Vlade & Glauben, Thomas, 2021. "Gaining trust in the digital age: The potential of social media for increasing the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 13(4).
    10. Roberto PATUELLI & Enrico SANTARELLI & Annie TUBADJI, 2020. "Entrepreneurial intention among high-school students: the importance of parents, peers and neighbors," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 10(2), pages 225-251, June.
    11. Mashaal A. M. Saif & Nazimah Hussin & Maizaitulaidawati Md Husin & Ayed Alwadain & Ayon Chakraborty, 2022. "Determinants of the Intention to Adopt Digital-Only Banks in Malaysia: The Extension of Environmental Concern," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-32, September.
    12. Nobles Calvin, 2018. "Botching Human Factors in Cybersecurity in Business Organizations," HOLISTICA – Journal of Business and Public Administration, Sciendo, vol. 9(3), pages 71-88, December.
    13. Mohammad Enamul Hoque & M. Kabir Hassan & Nik Mohd Hazrul Nik Hashim & Tarek Zaher, 2019. "Factors affecting Islamic banking behavioral intention: the moderating effects of customer marketing practices and financial considerations," Journal of Financial Services Marketing, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 24(1), pages 44-58, June.
    14. Alisa Frik & Luigi Mittone, 2016. "Factors Influencing the Perceived Websites' Privacy Trustworthiness and Users' Purchase Intentions," CEEL Working Papers 1609, Cognitive and Experimental Economics Laboratory, Department of Economics, University of Trento, Italia.
    15. Changsok Yoo & Shinhye Kwon & Hyunsoo Na & Byenghee Chang, 2017. "Factors Affecting the Adoption of Gamified Smart Tourism Applications: An Integrative Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-21, November.
    16. Ali Saleh Alshebami, 2021. "The Influence of Psychological Capital on Employees’ Innovative Behavior: Mediating Role of Employees’ Innovative Intention and Employees’ Job Satisfaction," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(3), pages 21582440211, August.
    17. Wenbo Guo & Jing Betty Feng & Brad McKenna & Pengzhu Zhang, 2017. "Inter-organizational governance and trilateral trust building: a case study of crowdsourcing-based open innovation in China," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 16(3), pages 187-207, July.
    18. Steininger, Dennis M. & Gatzemeier, Simon, 2019. "Digitally forecasting new music product success via active crowdsourcing," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 167-180.
    19. Simplice A. Asongu & Jacinta C. Nwachukwu & Stella-Maris I. Orim & Chris Pyke, 2019. "Crime and Social Media," Research Africa Network Working Papers 19/003, Research Africa Network (RAN).
    20. Suzy Jagger & Haytham Siala & Diane Sloan, 2016. "It's All in the Game: A 3D Learning Model for Business Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 137(2), pages 383-403, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jftint:v:13:y:2021:i:5:p:132-:d:556551. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.