WHO/Europe will host a webinar on 28 February to discuss insights into the strategic implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care. This is the 6th webinar in the Decoding Data and Digital Health series, which addresses digital health topics of importance to countries in the WHO European Region.
Safe use of AI in health care
The rapid integration of AI into health systems across the Region presents unprecedented opportunities for improving patient outcomes, streamlining administrative processes and delivering personalized care. However, implementation challenges and the complexity of AI algorithms, as well as concerns about data privacy, ethical use and accountability pose obstacles to AI’s safe and successful deployment in the health sector. This necessitates a robust framework for transparency and governance to ensure that health AI serves the public good, upholds patient rights, and maintains trust among patients, health-care professionals and governments.
The “Regional digital health action plan for the WHO European Region 2023–2030” emphasizes the need to safeguard equity, security, privacy and human rights in digital health development. Its key priorities involve setting norms, developing evidence-based technical guidance and formulating direction to support decision-making in digital health.
In January 2024, WHO headquarters in Geneva published new guidance on the ethics and governance of large multi-modal models (LMMs) – a type of fast-growing generative AI technology with applications across health care. The guidance outlines over 40 recommendations for governments, technology companies and health-care providers to ensure the appropriate use of LMMs to promote and protect the health of populations.
The webinar
Exploring the opportunities and challenges associated with the use of AI, the 1-hour event will contribute to outlining a roadmap for responsible AI integration into health-care systems. It will cover the development of AI strategies, guidance and policy framing; challenges faced during implementation; and best practices from case studies.
The webinar aims to provide participants with actionable insights and guidelines that can be used to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency and equity of AI applications in health. The panel of experts will include speakers with experience in the implementation and use of health AI, who can provide insights into the key lessons learned. A concise summary of the webinar’s discussions will be made available to participants and Member States.
The participants will be invited to form a group to continue the conversation, share resources and collaborate on issues related to AI in health. This group will serve as a platform for ongoing engagement and knowledge exchange beyond the webinar.
The webinar will be hosted in English and Russian. It is open to the public, including digital health developers, AI technologists, policy-makers, researchers, representative of patient advocacy groups, and health-care practitioners. Please use the registration link if you are interested in taking part.