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DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1807751
The Ethical Challenges of Artificial Intelligence in Plastic Surgery
Article in several languages: português | EnglishFinancial Support The authors declare that they did not receive financial support from agencies in the public, private or non-profit sectors to conduct the present study.
Abstract
Introduction
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been growing around the world and in Portugal due to the rapid progress of technology. Its use raises important ethical questions; therefore the establishment of ethical standards is essential for an adequate and lasting application of AI. The present article aims to explore the role that AI may have in plastic surgery as well as the ethical issues that may arise due to its use.
Objective
To investigate the barriers to the introduction of AI in the field of plastic surgery. The subsidiary objective is to address the ethical aspects related to this topic.
Materials and Methods
Between December 2023 and February 2024, we conducted a search on the PubMed/MEDLINE and Science Direct databases for articles that answered the research question. All titles and abstracts found were systematically evaluated. Those that were considered relevant were later read in full to be compared with the inclusion and exclusion criteria. For each of the studies, a table was created with the authors, the place and year of publication, and the conclusions.
Results
We selected eight articles that enabled us to discuss several points, namely: the consequences of the use of AI in plastic surgery in terms of data protection, privacy, equity, and transparency of algorithms.
Conclusion
Being aware of the barriers and ethical dilemmas that arise when using AI in plastic surgery is essential for quality clinical practice. Recognizing and addressing these barriers earlier makes it possible to legislate and regulate this surgical filed with technological advances to maintain safety in clinical practice and patient confidence.
Ethics Declaration
No primary data were collected in this study. Ethical approval and consent to participate do not apply, according to legal regulations, consent for publication is also not applicable.
Authors' Contributions
FVP: methodology and writing – original draft. AGA: final manuscript approval and writing – review & editing.
Publication History
Received: 04 September 2024
Accepted: 16 November 2024
Article published online:
14 May 2025
© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Thieme Revinter Publicações Ltda.
Rua Rego Freitas, 175, loja 1, República, São Paulo, SP, CEP 01220-010, Brazil
Francisca Vieira Pais, Abel García Abejas. Os desafios éticos da inteligência artificial na cirurgia plástica. Revista Brasileira de Cirurgia Plástica (RBCP) – Brazilian Journal of Plastic Surgery 2025; 40: s00451807751.
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1807751
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