The deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare and medicine has the potential to significantly enhance global healthcare delivery, but the achievement of this potential relies on prioritizing ethics and human rights in its design, implementation, and utilization, as outlined in the latest guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO). The report, titled "Ethics and governance of artificial intelligence for health," is the outcome of a two-year collaborative effort involving international experts appointed by WHO.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of WHO, emphasized that while AI technology has the capacity to greatly improve global health outcomes, there is also a risk of misuse and harm. The report serves as a valuable resource for countries, offering guidance on how to optimize the benefits of AI while minimizing associated risks and pitfalls.

AI has already been employed in some affluent nations to enhance the speed and precision of disease diagnosis and screening, aid in clinical care, boost health research and drug development, and support various public health interventions such as disease surveillance, outbreak response, and health systems management. Additionally, AI has the potential to empower individuals to actively manage their healthcare and comprehend their evolving health needs. It could also play a crucial role in addressing healthcare gaps in resource-poor countries and rural communities where access to healthcare workers is limited.

However, the WHO report advises against overly optimistic assessments of AI's health benefits, particularly if such optimism leads to neglect of essential investments and strategies needed for achieving universal health coverage. The report also highlights that while there are opportunities associated with AI, there are also challenges and risks, including the unethical collection and utilization of health data, biases embedded in algorithms, and potential threats to patient safety, cybersecurity, and the environment.

The report underscores the importance of recognizing that AI systems trained predominantly on data from individuals in high-income countries may not be effective for those in low- and middle-income settings. Consequently, it advocates for the careful design of AI systems to encompass the diversity of socio-economic and healthcare environments. This entails incorporating training in digital skills, fostering community engagement and awareness, especially for the multitude of healthcare workers who may need digital literacy or retraining if automation affects their roles. These workers must grapple with machines that could potentially impact the decision-making and autonomy of both providers and patients.

In adherence to existing laws and human rights commitments, as well as the formulation of new laws and policies that uphold ethical principles, collaboration among governments, providers, and designers is imperative. This collaboration is essential to address ethical and human rights concerns throughout the entire lifecycle of AI technology—from its design and development to its deployment.

Six principles to ensure AI works for the public interest in all countries

To limit the risks and maximize the opportunities intrinsic to the use of AI for health, WHO provides the following principles as the basis for AI regulation and governance:

• Protecting human autonomy
• Promoting human well-being and safety and the public interest
• Ensuring transparency, explainability and intelligibility
• Fostering responsibility and accountability
• Ensuring inclusiveness and equity
• Promoting AI that is responsive and sustainable

Source: https://www.who.int/news/item/28-06-2021-who-issues-first-global-report-on-ai-in-health-and-six-guiding-principles-for-its-design-and-use