Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Apr 28, 2025
Date Accepted: Jun 13, 2025
Ethical Implications of Artificial Intelligence in Vaccine Equity: Exploring Vaccine Distribution Planning and Scheduling in Pandemics in Low-Middle-Income-Countries - Research Protocol
ABSTRACT
Background:
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted significant disparities in vaccine distribution, particularly in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a potential tool to optimize vaccine distribution planning and scheduling. However, its ethical implications, including equity, transparency, bias, and accessibility, remain underexplored. Ensuring ethical AI implementation in vaccine distribution is crucial to addressing global health equity challenges.
Objective:
This study aims to assess the ethical implications of AI-assisted vaccine distribution planning and scheduling in LMICs during pandemics. It seeks to evaluate AI’s role in ensuring equitable vaccine access, analyze ethical concerns associated with its deployment, and propose an ethical framework to guide AI-based vaccine distribution strategies.
Methods:
A multi-phase qualitative research approach is employed, combining a systematic scoping review, a witness seminar with key stakeholders (healthcare professionals, AI developers, policymakers, and bioethicists), and a meta-synthesis of findings. The scoping review follows PRISMA-ScR guidelines, focusing on studies from 2019-2023. The witness seminar provides firsthand insights into AI’s ethical impact on vaccine equity. Thematic content analysis and qualitative coding will be used for data interpretation, with findings integrated into a policy-driven ethical framework.
Results:
The study anticipates identifying key ethical challenges in AI-assisted vaccine distribution, such as algorithmic bias, privacy concerns, digital inequities, and regulatory gaps. It will highlight AI’s potential to enhance vaccine logistics while simultaneously raising ethical dilemmas in decision-making and prioritization. Insights from the witness seminar will further inform the development of an ethical framework for AI-driven vaccine equity strategies in LMICs.
Conclusions:
By examining the ethical implications of AI in vaccine distribution, this research will provide actionable recommendations for policymakers, healthcare organizations, and AI developers. The findings will contribute to the discourse on responsible AI deployment in global health, ensuring transparency, fairness, and inclusivity in pandemic response strategies. Clinical Trial: https://osf.io/pk8eb
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