ZAGREB, 14 May (Hina) - Artificial intelligence is increasingly entering medicine, but it must not replace doctors’ judgement, responsibility or the doctor–patient relationship, it was said at a panel discussion in Zagreb.
Speaking at the panel “Conscientious Objection in the Light of Artificial Intelligence – an Imperative in Law and Medicine”, held at the University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Croatian Medical Chamber president Krešimir Luetić said the Chamber strongly supports the institution of conscientious objection, which he described not as a privilege but as a fundamental principle of the medical profession.
He also referred to public criticism that doctors “invoke conscientious objection in the morning, but not in another institution in the afternoon,” saying that the Croatian Medical Chamber (HLK) has not received any complaint of such a case so far.
Morana Brkljačić from the Croatian Medical Association’s ethics committee warned that, despite the benefits of AI, the human role of physicians must not be lost, raising the question of responsibility for errors made by AI systems. She stressed that technological progress cannot be separated from ethical limits on what should be done, not just what can be done.
Neuroradiologist Marko Radoš said society and the healthcare system are lagging behind in regulating AI, arguing that AI should not be used in medicine unless doctors understand how algorithms reach decisions. He warned that blind reliance on algorithms could weaken critical thinking among younger doctors, even though AI is already used in areas like stroke diagnostics.
Family medicine expert Miro Hanževački said conscientious objection is less of an issue in primary care because patients can freely choose and switch doctors.
Lawyer Jasenka Surla highlighted issues of informed consent, data protection, and GDPR compliance, warning against using public AI tools like ChatGPT for non-anonymised medical records.
Legal scholar Dubravka Hrabar criticised surrogacy as exploitation and “trade in children”, raising concerns about registering children born through surrogacy abroad in Croatian civil registries.
Participants agreed that AI in medicine requires clear ethical standards and a stronger legal framework.
