Big data and artificial intelligence
Highlights
Publications
The report identifies the ethical challenges and risks with the use of artificial intelligence of health, six consensus principles to ensure AI works to...
The WHO guidance on Ethics & Governance of Artificial Intelligence for Health is the product of eighteen months of deliberation amongst leading experts...
15 October 2018
Big data and artificial intelligence for achieving universal health coverage: an international consultation...
WHO and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy have long collaborated in identifying and addressing...
Background
Digital technologies, machine learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are revolutionizing the fields of medicine, research and public health. While holding great promise, this rapidly developing field raises ethical, legal and social concerns, e.g. regarding equitable access, privacy, appropriate uses and users, liability and bias and inclusiveness. These issues are trans-national in nature, as capturing, sharing and using data generated or used by these technologies goes beyond national boundaries. The tools, methods and technologies used in “Big Data” and AI are being applied to improve health services and systems. However, many questions remain unanswered concerning the ethical development and use of these technologies, including how low- and middle-income countries will benefit from AI developments.
Our work
As the coordinating authority on public health within the United Nations system, WHO has a unique opportunity to provide guidance, build capacity, shape the research agenda and engage stakeholders in improving the ethical foundation for use of Big data
and AI in public health. Developing global ethical guidance for Member States also requires an analysis of knowledge gaps and setting priorities for research to address those gaps.Show less Show more
From October 2nd to 4th 2019, WHO convened an international consultation with participants from government, inter-governmental agencies, academia, civil society and industry to start the development of WHO guidance on ethics and governance for the design and implementation of AI in global health. Participants, including technologists, lawyers, health care practitioners, scientists and ethicists, were selected across WHO regions and contributed their expertise on the current and anticipated uses of AI technologies for health and the ethical considerations and human rights principles that should guide its use. The experts discussed different uses of AI, e.g. in drug discovery, clinical medicine, and public health, and how it is transforming these fields. They heard about various related initiatives led by international organizations and governments. Finally, they discussed pertinent ethical issues that arise with these use cases and advised on the format and content elements that shall be included in future guidance developed by WHO through additional consultations planned for 2020.
Previously, in 2017, WHO and its Collaborating Centre at the University of Miami (led by Ken Goodman) organized an international consultation on the subject (see link to report under WHO publication). A special symposium was held at the World Congress of Bioethics Conference in Bangalore in December 2018. A theme issue of the WHO Bulletin will be devoted to Big data, machine learning and AI will be published in 2020.
WHO Expert Group on Ethics and Governance of AI for Health
The committee was established in September 2019
Mandate
- Identify ethical challenges related to AI
- Develop guiding principles
- Develop an ethical framework (governance of AI for health)
- Provide recommendations to WHO and other inter-governmental agencies, Ministries of Health, companies and programmers, health providers, civil society
Additional resources
WHO resources
WHO Bulletin 2020
WHO Bulletin. 2019
(pdf, 186kb)
External resources
, pdf, 691kb