Join this Research Theme (Deadline: 1 November 2026)
 
 

Research Theme #X

Anthropomorphism, AI and Clinical Responsibility: A Chile–Sweden Dialogue

Keywords: Anthropomorphism, AI in Healthcare, Moral Responsibility, Professional Formation

 
 

Workshop Leaders (PIs)

 

Manuel Guerrero
Universidad de Chile

Kathinka Evers
Uppsala University

 
 

Research Theme Summary

AI systems are rapidly being integrated into healthcare practice, from diagnostic decision support and risk stratification to therapeutic chatbots and patient-facing assistants. The language used to describe these systems is pervasively anthropomorphic: AI is said to "think," "decide," "understand," or even "care". This language is technically and philosophically misleading, but it is not innocuous. It reshapes how clinicians, patients, regulators, and institutions distribute responsibility when AI participates in harm. Anthropomorphic framing risks transferring moral agency to systems that cannot bear it, while diluting the responsibility of developers, healthcare professionals, institutions, and policymakers who can. This Research Theme brings together philosophers, bioethicists, clinicians, jurists, sociologist, AI researchers, and educators from Chile and Sweden to examine how anthropomorphic discourse on AI affects the distribution of moral and legal responsibility in healthcare, and what is required—conceptually, formatively, and institutionally—to protect patient rights and clinical judgment in this new environment. Chile and Sweden offer a productive contrast: Sweden as a context shaped by the EU AI Act and well-developed institutional infrastructure; Chile as a country with a pioneering constitutional framework on neurorights (2021) but high structural inequality in health access. The workshop will combine social, psychological and conceptual analyses of anthropomorphism and responsibility, with a comparative review of regulatory frameworks, examination of clinical cases, and discussions of how professional formation—rather than regulation alone—must respond to these challenges.Expected outcomes: a joint policy brief, a special issue proposal, a joint grant application (Horizon Europe / ANID-STINT), and a foundation for co-supervised PhD work.

 
 

Desired Expertise

Philosophy and ethics: philosophy of mind and language; applied ethics and bioethics; neuroethics; AI ethics; philosophy of technology; virtue ethics and professional ethics. Law and regulation: medical law; human rights law (particularly mental integrity, autonomy, and patient rights); AI regulation and the EU AI Act; comparative constitutional law (with attention to Chile's 2021 neurorights reform). Clinical and health sciences: clinical medicine (with interest in clinicians working with AI decision support); nursing and allied health professions; psychiatry and mental health; public health and health equity. AI and data sciences: AI and machine learning research (particularly explainability and human–AI interaction); responsible AI; data science in health. Education and formation: medical education and health professions education; ethics education; professional formation and curriculum design. Social sciences and policy: sociology of health and medicine; science and technology studies (STS); health policy and governance.

 
 
 
 

About the ACCESS Forum & Research Themes (RTs)

  • The ACCESS Forum is an immersive, bi-national event held every 18 months that connects scholars across Chilean and Swedish member universities to address global societal challenges. Rather than functioning as a standard academic conference with passive presentations, an ACCESS workshop operates as an intensive, dedicated "working laboratory."

    Participants commit to a single Research Theme (RT)—a targeted, co-led scientific initiative aligned with the ACCESS Research Framework. Over four days of collaborative work sessions, interactive discussions, and co-design activities, participants remain with the same cohort to move research ideas from concept to action.

  • By joining our workshop cohort at the upcoming ACCESS Forum, you will:

    • Co-Develop Concrete Outcomes: Work directly toward joint academic publications, collaborative grant proposals (e.g., ANID, STINT, Horizon Europe), co-supervision of PhD candidates, etc.

    • Cross-Contextual Insights: Exchange datasets, methodologies, and local perspectives between Chilean and Swedish contexts.

    • Expand Your Network: Connect with senior researchers, Early Career Researchers (ECRs), and non-academic stakeholders across both research and innovation ecosystems.

  • To apply for a seat in this Research Theme workshop, please review the desired expertise above and complete the application form before the registration deadline.


    IMPORTANT: Applications from ACCESS member universities will be prioritize.

    Apply here by 1 November 2026: XXX