The role of AI in paediatric surgery remains limited and ethically complex.
A new study reveals that although surgeons recognise its potential to enhance diagnostic precision, streamline planning, and support clinical decision-making, its practical use remains rare and largely academic.
Paediatric surgeons expressed strong concerns about several factors, including:
• Accountability in the event of AI-related harm
• Difficulty of obtaining informed consent from children
• The risk of data privacy breaches
• The possibility of algorithmic bias.
By examining paediatric surgeons’ experiences and perceptions, the study set out to highlight the critical barriers that must be addressed before AI can be safely and responsibly integrated into paediatric surgical care.
Paediatric surgery faces unique ethical challenges due to children’s limited autonomy, the need for parental decision-making and the heightened sensitivity of surgical risks.
In low-resource settings, concerns about infrastructure, data representativeness, and regulatory preparedness further complicate adoption.
Paediatric surgeons must balance innovation with the obligation to protect vulnerable patients and maintain trust. These pressures intensify debates around transparency, fairness, and responsibility in the use of AI tools.
Published in the World Journal of Pediatric Surgery, the study – conducted by a national team of paediatric surgeons from the Federal Medical Centre in Umuahia, Nigeria – gathered responses from surgeons across all six geopolitical zones to assess levels of AI awareness, patterns of use, and key ethical concerns.
The findings reveal a profession cautiously weighing AI’s potential benefits against unresolved questions regarding accountability, informed consent, data privacy, and regulatory readiness.
The research team writes: ‘The results show that paediatric surgeons are not opposed to AI – they simply want to ensure it is safe, fair, and well regulated. Ethical challenges, including accountability, informed consent, and data protection, must be addressed before clinicians can confidently rely on AI in settings involving vulnerable children. Clear national guidelines, practical training programmes, and transparent standards are essential to ensure that AI becomes a supportive tool rather than a source of uncertainty in paediatric surgical care.’
The results underscore the need for paediatric-specific ethical frameworks, clearer consent procedures, and well-defined accountability mechanisms for AI-assisted care.
