When is it ethically acceptable to use artificial agents in health care? This paper articulates some criteria for good care and then discusses whether machines as artificial agents can meet these criteria. Particular attention is paid to intuitions about the meaning of "care" but also to the care process as a labour process in a modern organizational and financial-economical context. It is argued that while there is in principle no objection to using machines in medicine and health care, the idea of them functioning and appearing as "care agents" raises serious problems. It is recommended that the discussion about MCAs be connected to a broader discussion about the impact of technology on human relations in the context of modernity.
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