Artificial Intelligence in healthcare: investigating innovation, safety and liability
9 - 20 October 2023
Biography
Vera Lúcia Raposo is currently an Assistant Professor of Law and Technology at Nova School of Law (Lisbon, Portugal). She is the leading researcher at FutureHealthLaw which focuses on the use of new technologies in health care. She is also a masters supervisor at the Centre for Medical Ethics and Law, University of Hong Kong (China) and a collaborator of the National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University School of Law, in Taiwan (Taiwan).
She has previously lectured at the University of Macau (China), the University of Coimbra (Portugal) and the University Agostinho Neto (Angola). She was also of counsel at the law firm Vieira de Almeida & Associados (Lisbon) in the departments of health law and privacy law.
She is a frequent speaker at academic events worldwide and a member of the Editorial Board of the European Journal of Health Law. She is the author of more than one hundred papers, particularly in digital law (AI, data protection, metaverse) and biomedical law (medical liability, patient safety, gene editing, digital health), many of which are published in indexed journals.
Research Summary
This visit will allow Dr Raposo to disseminate and further develop her work at the intersection of health, law and technology, and to share her expertise on digital health law, an emerging field of significant societal importance. Through a series of seminars and meetings with key academics at Bristol, the visit will explore the protection of patients’ privacy and safety with the use of emerging technologies. The activity will be focussed on developing interdisciplinary work which:
1. Defines how AI will affect the clinician-patient relationship, and the implications for clinical empathy and trusting relationships, analysing in particular how the doctrine of informed consent to treatment functions with complex and obscure technology, the so-called ‘black box’;
2.Defines who (or what) shall be held liable for harm. When assessing liability for medical acts different actors may, in theory, be held liable, especially the hospital (corporate liability) and/or the medical practitioner. However, when the scenario involves the use of any type of device, including software, questions arise about the liability of manufacturers and developers. The key question here revolves around whether AI itself can possess legal personality and be liable for harm caused.
3.Suggests guidelines to develop trustworthy and safe AI systems which protect patients. This outcome, in turn, requires AI with fewer biases, that is, trained with bigger and better data, and compliant with the GDPR.
Dr Raposo is hosted by Professor Oliver Quick from the Bristol Law School
Planned activities:
Hosted by the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute and Jean Golding Institute with the University of Bristol Law School the three events will address the following topics:
The seminars will feature Vera Lúcia Raposo, Assistant Professor of Law and Technology at Nova School of Law (Lisbon, Portugal), the leading researcher at FutureHealthLaw which explores the use of new technologies in healthcare. Dr Raposo is visiting Bristol in October and is hosted by Professor Oliver Quick from the University of Bristol Law School.
It will be an opportunity to hear about Vera Raposo’s work; explore new collaborative opportunities; share your research interests in this area with colleagues from different disciplines; discuss ideas in the context of an RAI UK-led 'Responsible AI UK international partnerships' funding call.
All staff and students at the University of Bristol and our partners in the NHS with an interest in these areas are warmly invited.
Deadline for registering your place is 9 October 2023 by 5pm.
