AI application in cancer diagnosis. A bioethical approach

Background: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has achieved remarkable progress in oncology, particularly in cancer diagnosis and treatment. However, its integration into clinical practice raises complex ethical issues related to data privacy, transparency, responsibility, and the doctor–patient relationship. Objective: this article aims to examine the ethical implications of using AI in cancer diagnosis through a principlist and personalist bioethical lens, assessing its conformity with the principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice. Results: while AI systems demonstrate improved diagnostic accuracy and efficiency, their dependence on large and sometimes biased datasets, lack of interpretability, and potential to erode medical autonomy raise serious ethical concerns. The analysis shows that current AI applications risk violating the principles of non-maleficence and justice and may also compromise autonomy and beneficence. Conclusions: AI represents a valuable complement to medical judgment but must never replace it. Ethical integration of AI into oncology requires transparent algorithms, equitable access, and an education that preserves human dignity as the moral foundation of medicine. In the future, principlism should be complemented by personalist bioethics to ensure that technological innovation remains subordinated to the good of the person.