Abstract:

Recent statistics show a notable influx of Bruneians seeking mental health care, with 13,246 individuals accessing services over the past year. This has led to an increasing emphasis on the use of AI in healthcare. AI systems in psychiatry pose serious privacy, security, and ethical responsibility challenges, as they handle sensitive information that can lead to stigma, discrimination, and erosion of patient trust. Brunei has already started incorporating AI into its health systems, such as Bru-HIMS and BruHealth, but it is crucial to navigate these ethical challenges. This study discusses the ethical problems of AI-supported health data management in these systems, focusing on privacy issues for patients receiving psychiatric treatment. This paper identified risks, regulatory challenges, and ethical dilemmas arising from using AI to process sensitive health data. The findings could be of great interest to lawmakers, healthcare administrators, and AI developers, helping to articulate clear rules that protect patient privacy while inspiring trust in AI-powered health services.