Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in AI-Driven Healthcare Chatbots: Addressing Challenges and Shaping Strategies.

Artificial intelligence (AI)-driven chatbots hold promise for improving patient care and healthcare efficiency, but integrating Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) remains challenging. This discussion paper explores the potential for EDI-focused chatbots, emphasizing the need for ongoing assessment, diverse datasets, and collaboration among healthcare providers, technologists, and policymakers. While acknowledging current limitations such as algorithmic bias, the paper also emphasizes the potential of AI to support and extend human decision-making, particularly through real-time analytics and scalable patient support. Embedding EDI principles helps reduce bias, enhance fairness, and requires cross-disciplinary collaboration to ensure AI delivers equitable, inclusive healthcare for all.