On 28 June, the World Health Organisation (WHO) launched its global report on Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence for Health. Developed following 18 months of consultation with experts in ethics, digital technologies, law and human rights, alongside representatives of national health ministries, the report identifies the ethical challenges and risks associated with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in health. These include issues caused by the digital divide, challenges in allocating accountability and responsibility for decision-making with AI, and problems linked to bias in AI, which may exacerbate discrimination.
The report also identifies ways to embed ethics in the use of AI for health, including involvement of patients and the public in the design and deployment of AI, accurate and timely impact assessments for new AI technologies, and ensuring technologies are designed in a transparent and ethical way. Linked to this, six core principles for ethical AI in health are identified: 1) protecting autonomy; 2) promoting human well-being, human safety, and the public interest; 3) ensuring transparency, explainability and intelligibility; 4) fostering reproducibility and accountability; 5) ensuring inclusivity and equity and 6) promoting AI that is responsive and sustainable.
In her foreword, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist of the WHO, calls for all stakeholders, at all levels and across all disciplines, to work together to integrate ethical norms at every stage of a technology's design, development and deployment, so that all populations can equally benefit from the great promise of these technologies in the future.