## 3 Transformative Impact and Ethical Implications of AI in Healthcare
### Blockchain Technology in Healthcare AI
Smart contracts deployed in healthcare maintain transparency across multiple stages of medical studies. They are scripts processed on a blockchain, ensuring the authenticity and confidentiality of patient data. For instance, blockchain-based telemonitoring healthcare systems can detect and manage cancerous cells, utilizing smart contracts to ensure data integrity. Blockchain technology also ensures the provenance of medical commodities. In the pharmaceutical industry, it allows for tracking items from manufacturing through each stage of the supply chain, ensuring that the final product delivered to the consumer is genuine and has not been tampered with. This traceability is crucial in preventing the distribution of counterfeit drugs, which can have profound implications for patient health and safety. By providing a transparent and immutable supply chain record, blockchain technology helps establish trust among consumers, healthcare providers, and regulatory bodies. Moreover, blockchain can facilitate the secure sharing of medical data for research while preserving patient anonymity. This is particularly important for advancing medical research and developing new treatments, as large datasets are often required. By using blockchain, researchers can access a wealth of de-identified patient data without compromising individual privacy, thus accelerating the pace of medical innovation [18; 34]. The potential of blockchain in healthcare extends to insurance and billing, where it can streamline processes and reduce fraud. Smart contracts can automatically execute claim processing, reducing the need for intermediaries and minimizing the risk of fraudulent claims. This leads to cost savings for healthcare providers and insurers and improves the overall patient experience by expediting the reimbursement process. Despite these advantages, implementing blockchain in healthcare AI systems must be approached cautiously, considering the regulatory and ethical implications. The challenges posed by GDPR and other data protection laws must be addressed through innovative solutions that reconcile blockchain's immutability with the need for data rectification and erasure. Furthermore, the technical complexity of blockchain may present barriers to adoption, requiring significant investment in infrastructure and education for healthcare professionals and patients alike. Blockchain technology is promising to revolutionize healthcare AI systems by enhancing data security, transparency, and efficiency. Its applications range from secure patient record management to supply chain integrity and research data sharing. However, the successful integration of blockchain into healthcare will depend on careful consideration of legal and ethical issues and a commitment to overcoming technical and operational challenges. As the technology matures and solutions to these challenges are developed, blockchain is poised to play a pivotal role in the future of healthcare, potentially leading to more personalized, efficient, and secure medical services for patients worldwide [18; 34].