AI has potential to revolutionise health care – but we must first confront the risk of algorithmic bias

• Research suggests AI algorithms can accurately detect melanomas and predict future breast cancers.
• But before AI can be integrated into routine clinical use, we must address the challenge of algorithmic bias.
• In an experiment, the team reversed their “good” AI model to create options for a new AI model to do “harm”.

AI in clinical care

• The Australian Epilepsy Project aims to improve people’s lives and make clinical care more widely available.
• As the AI lead of this project, my main concern is that AI is moving fast and regulatory oversight is minimal.
• These issues are why we recently established an ethical framework for using AI as a clinical support tool.
• This framework intends to ensure our AI technologies are open, safe and trustworthy, while fostering inclusivity and fairness in clinical care.

Safe implementation of medical AI

• Enabling health equality and fostering inclusivity in clinical studies are likely among the primary solutions to combating biases in medical AI.
• What do we need in Aotearoa New Zealand to ensure the safe implementation of AI in medical care?
• The UK government recently released their proactive approach to AI regulation, serving as a blueprint for other government responses to AI safety.
• It will establish an ethical framework for using AI in clinical care and other fields, yielding interpretable, secure and unbiased AI.