PRESENTATION TITLE

The Perils of ‘Empathic AI’ in Healthcare 

PRESENTER
Karola Kreitmair, Ph.D.

PRESENTER BIO

Karola Kreitmair is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medical History and Bioethics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and an Affiliate Professor in the Department of Philosophy. She is the Co-Chair of the UW Hospital Ethics Committee and the Co-Director of the Path of Distinction in Bioethics. She is a member of the Association of Bioethics Program Directors, a member of the board of directors of the International Neuroethics Society, and the editor of the Cambridge University Press Elements Series on Bioethics and Neuroethics. She received the 2024 Vilas Award for her work on the moral status of human brain surrogates and a 2025 Wisconsin Partnership Program Collaborative Health Sciences Grant to work on ethical considerations around ambient Al in healthcare. Prof. Kreitmair received her bachelor's degree in philosophy from Brown University, her master's degree in linguistics from Edinburgh University, and her doctorate in philosophy from Stanford University. Prior to her current position, she served as clinical ethics fellow at Stanford University. She has a broad range of interests, including clinical ethics, philosophy, neuroethics, and playwriting. Recent scholarship has included work on Al in healthcare, consciousness and moral status, ethical issues around organ transplantation, and ethical issues arising from in direct-to-consumer digital behavioral technology.

VIEWING LOCATIONS

In-person: RST, Gonda 4-105, Chucker Lecture Hall

Zoom: Link

Passcode: 657432 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this activity participants should be able to: 

• Contrast care provided by human clinicians with care provided with 'empathic' chatbots.  

• Evaluate ethical arguments for and against the appropriateness of including 'empathic Al' in healthcare.  

• Consider ramifications of shifting norms in the clinician-patient relationship.  

ATTENDANCE / CREDIT
Text the session code (provided only at the session) to 507-200-3010 within 48 hours of the live presentation to record attendance. All learners are encouraged to text attendance regardless of credit needs. This number is only used for receiving text messages related to tracking attendance. Additional tasks to obtain credit may be required based on the specific activity requirements and will be announced accordingly. Swiping your badge will not provide credit; that process is only applicable to meet GME requirements for Residents & Fellows.

TRANSCRIPT
Any credit or attendance awarded from this session will appear on your Transcript.

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QUESTIONS?
Contact: Laura Inman (Mayo Clinic Directory - Person Detail) and Brandon Le, CAPM^® (Mayo Clinic Directory - Person Detail)