WHO Urges Transparency and Regulation in AI Health Technologies
The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for improved regulations on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in healthcare. The organization emphasizes the importance of developing secure AI systems and promoting communication between manufacturers, regulators, healthcare providers, and patients.
In a recent publication, the United Nations Agency for Health highlighted the potential of AI to improve clinical trials, diagnosis, and healthcare personnel’s knowledge and skills. However, concerns about privacy, security, and data integrity necessitate strong legal and regulatory frameworks when using AI to handle health data.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that while AI holds great promise for health, it also comes with challenges such as unethical data collection, cybersecurity threats, and the amplification of biases or misinformation. To safely manage the rapid rise of AI in healthcare, WHO emphasizes transparency, documentation, risk management, and external data validation.
The new guidelines from the organization aim to assist nations in effectively regulating AI in healthcare to harness its full potential while mitigating associated risks. Privacy and data protection are addressed through complex laws like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the US, which focus on jurisdiction and consent.
Code and training data complexity are identified as key factors in AI’s potential biases and failures. The WHO highlights the need for effective regulation to minimize the risks of AI magnifying biases in training data.
Recent research conducted by TechTimes reveals that AI chatbot ChatGPT surpassed primary care physicians in depression therapy. The study, involving 1,249 French primary care providers and ChatGPT, found that the chatbot’s suggestions for depression treatment met requirements and were free from gender or social class biases. This suggests that AI-driven solutions have the potential to improve primary healthcare decision-making.
Meanwhile, a survey conducted by Propeller Insights on behalf of Carta Healthcare indicates that US patients have varying comfort levels with the use of AI in their healthcare experiences. Out of 1,027 adult patients, 49% expressed comfort with healthcare practitioners using AI, while 51% were uncomfortable. When asked about AI’s potential to improve diagnostic accuracy, 51% were comfortable and 42% were uncomfortable.
These results come amidst growing research on AI’s potential to improve diagnosis accuracy and provide opportunities for patients and healthcare professionals seeking medical guidance from AI-driven solutions.
Overall, the WHO’s call for improved regulations and transparency in AI health technologies reflects the need to harness the benefits of AI while safeguarding privacy, security, and data integrity in healthcare settings.
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