• Healthcare

WHO Warns Of Risks Of Rapid AI Adoption?

May 24, 2023

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a warning, raising concerns about the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in healthcare and their potential risks to patient safety.

With the growing excitement surrounding platforms like ChatGPT and Bard, there is a danger that caution is being overlooked. The WHO emphasizes the need for careful evaluation, oversight, and adherence to critical values to prevent errors, harm, and erosion of trust in AI technologies.

Many AI systems employed in healthcare rely on extensive language model tools (LLMs) to mimic human understanding, processing, and communication. The WHO acknowledges the rise of these technologies, which are still largely experimental, necessitating a thorough examination of the associated risks.

Preserving transparency, inclusion, public engagement, expert supervision, and rigorous evaluation becomes crucial to safeguard AI’s potential long-term benefits and global utilization in healthcare and scientific research.

The WHO underscores the importance of careful risk assessment when employing LLMs to enhance access to health information, support decision-making, or improve diagnostic capabilities in resource-limited settings. Concerns revolve around potential biases in the training data, which may lead to the generation of misleading or inaccurate information.

The WHO advocates for rigorous oversight and regulatory frameworks to ensure AI technologies’ safe, effective, and ethical application in healthcare.

The organization emphasizes the necessity of addressing these concerns and gathering clear evidence of benefits before adopting LLMs in routine healthcare and medicine.

This caution aligns with recent statements made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf, who called for regulation of large language models to prevent the healthcare system from being overwhelmed by technologies that are not yet fully understood.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also expressed support for regulation, highlighting the potential risks associated with AI and the importance of collaboration with the government to mitigate those risks.

While AI has the potential to revolutionize healthcare, the WHO’s warning serves as a reminder that responsible innovation and careful oversight are necessary to avoid medical errors, protect patients, and maintain public trust.

As AI continues to gain traction in healthcare, the WHO’s cautionary statement highlights the need for measured implementation, rigorous evaluation, and regulatory oversight. It is essential to balance AI’s potential benefits and risks to ensure patient safety, preserve trust, and foster equitable access to high-quality healthcare.

By navigating the ethical considerations and proactively addressing concerns, the healthcare community can harness the power of AI while mitigating potential harm, enabling a future where technology enhances healthcare delivery without compromising patient well-being.

Sources:
https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/WHO-artificial-intelligence-AI-caution/650538/
https://www.who.int/news/item/16-05-2023-who-calls-for-safe-and-ethical-ai-for-health
https://www.medtechdive.com/news/fda-calls-for-nimble-regulation-of-chatgpt-like-models-to-avoid-being-sw/649756/
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/16/technology/openai-altman-artificial-intelligence-regulation.html