The New Zealand Health Information Privacy Code provides a research exception, whereby ethics committees have the power to approve the use of health information for research purposes without the consent of participants. This presentation will examine the limits of that power, and explore how ‘data-hungry’ research ethics applications pose new challenges for ethics committees, with a focus on the development of AI applications. Emerging ethical issues around the potential for reidentification from the merging of datasets and increased computational power will be explored. Together with the impact of the changing nature of research and innovation, that sees public / private collaborations challenge traditional notions of the ‘public good’. The presentation will include some examples of emerging issues faced by ethics committees, with some suggestions for how these can be navigated in manner the respects privacy, while embracing the potential health benefits.