Reflections on My Time at the Ethox Centre: Epistemic Injustice, AI, and Emotions in the Healthcare context

Eliana Bergamin, PhD Candidate, Erasmus University Rotterdam

Between October and December 2024, I had the opportunity of spending two months as a visiting researcher at the Ethox Centre in Oxford. This experience, which started simply by my admiration of Prof. Kerasidou’s work on AI and empathy in healthcare, enriched my PhD journey, pushing me beyond familiar boundaries and into a dynamic intellectual space, with new ideas, approaches, and perspectives. Immersing myself in such a stimulating research environment opened the door to opportunities I hadn’t anticipated.

My work during my time at Ethox focused on the intersections of epistemic injustice, artificial intelligence, and emotions—an area that remains underexplored despite its critical importance in healthcare. Specifically, I examined how the introduction of AI technologies reshapes emotional practices within healthcare settings, and how these changes may perpetuate or mitigate forms of epistemic injustice. For example, AI often prioritizes quantifiable outputs, sidelining emotional knowledge, which can lead to the undervaluation of both patient and caregiver experiences. My goal was to uncover how emotions are entangled with the ethical and epistemic dimensions of AI in healthcare innovation and application.

My time in Oxford began with an inspiring start, as I had the opportunity to attend the conference titled “Biotechnologies, Artificial Intelligence, and Human Identity” during my first week. The themes explored were as thought-provoking as they were diverse—ranging from the ethical considerations of sex robots to digital monitoring technologies in family life. What I found particularly fascinating was the exploration of the link between eschatological ontology and AI, a perspective that was entirely new to me and deeply resonated with my ongoing research into the broader implications of AI technologies.

A  highlight of my stay was the incredible opportunity to co-host a seminar with Dr. Chris Register, from the Uehiro Institute for Practical Ethics. Titled “Anthropomorphisation and AI in the Healthcare Context”, the seminar delved into the ethical consequences of anthropomorphizing AI technologies within healthcare and their profound influence on the concept of privacy. Together, we explored how assigning human-like characteristics to AI systems can shape perceptions of trust and autonomy in healthcare interactions, while raising complex questions about data protection and the erosion of privacy boundaries. The discussions that followed the seminar, such as whether we had considered non-Western approaches to privacy, or whether we had taken into account the distinction between privacy and confidentiality, were thought-provoking and offered fresh perspectives that I continue to reflect on.

Overall, the welcoming and collegial environment at Ethox left a lasting impression on me. Informal conversations over shared lunches and coffee breaks often evolved into profound discussions, enriching my perspectives and allowing me to step outside my academic bubble. The Centre’s interdisciplinary and international nature made it so that I was constantly exposed to a myriad of diverse viewpoints, expertise, and experiences. From my desk, I was surrounded by colleagues from across the globe, whose expertise spanned from medical ethics and bioethics to AI programming. Every conversation and each of their unique perspectives and approaches allowed me to see my research question with new eyes, and to broaden and deepend its scope.

Beyond advancing my own research, I had the privilege of participating in a diverse range of seminars and events hosted by the Ethox Centre and the broader University of Oxford. The Ethox Seminars, in particular, covered a remarkably wide range of topics, from access to human milk banks and health inequalities in the NHS to the ethics of AI-based voice assistants for people with dementia and antenatal palliative care. These discussions opened my eyes to the vastness of ethical challenges in healthcare, deepening my appreciation for the complexity of the field. Witnessing how scholars with different methodologies—from highly qualitative approaches to policy-oriented and quantitative research—collaborated to address intricate ethical dilemmas in a spirit of support and constructive critique was truly inspiring.

In addition to the new knowledge I gathered through the Ethox seminars, I had the opportunity to attend events hosted by both the Uehiro Institute for Practical Ethics and the Institute for Ethics in AI. The Ethics in AI Lunchtime Research Seminars, in particular, provided a fascinating perspective on AI’s broader implications. Some of the topics explored included whether large language models (LLMs) should be seen as mere tools or linguistic agents, the ethical concerns surrounding generative AI and its role in cultural iteration, and the risks AI poses to children through data-driven harms. Engaging with scholars who came from all over the world to present their research not only broadened my understanding of AI ethics, but also exposed me to new lines of inquiry – such as philosophy of language, art curation, and AI and tech design –, and allowed me to come into contact with academics whose work continues to inspire my own.

Outside of academic life, Oxford itself was a constant source of awe. The charm and fascination of the Bodleian Library never wore off, while the collection of the Ashmolean Museum kept me captivated for more than one afternoon. Evenings often led to the Bear Inn, where I admired its legendary tie collection over a (half) pint of beer. And when it came to Sunday roasts, I indulged in so many that I could practically write my own Michelin guide to Oxford’s best. One unforgettable evening, I attended a concert at the Sheldonian Theatre, where the talent and magical atmosphere seeped through the music, enveloping the audience. The city’s rich history, quirks, and cultural dynamism provided a pleasant contrast to the demands of research.

Reflecting on my time at the Ethox Centre, I am especially grateful for the opportunity to delve into how emotions—both as sources of knowledge and as integral to epistemic practices—are being marginalized in the way AI is introduced and operationalized in healthcare. My time here allowed me to sharpen my arguments and deepen my understanding of how AI-driven efficiencies often sideline the affective and experiential dimensions of care. Engaging both with Prof. Kerasidou, and with scholars from different disciplines, challenged me to refine my argument and situate my work within broader ethical and epistemological debates.

As my stay at Ethox came to an end, more than one person told me, with a knowing smile, that “one always comes back to Oxford”. There is something about this city—the weight of its history, the sense of discovery woven into everyday life—that makes it hard to truly leave it behind. I hope that their words will prove true, and that I will find my way back, to continue these conversations and build upon the work that has made this time so formative and unforgettable.