Global Health in the Age of AI: Charting a Course for Ethical Implementation and Societal Benefit
The Fondazione Giorgio Cini is hosting a three-day symposium, entitled “Global Health in the Age of AI”, assessing the societal implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in the healthcare sector, including issues related to accessibility, equity, and potential impacts on healthcare disparities.
During the symposium the keynotes will be streamed live on the Giorgio Cini Foundation’s YouTube profile.
Scientific Programme
The scientific program, structured over three days, is developed by Prof. Luciano Floridi, Director of the Digital Ethics Center (DEC) at Yale University and Professor in the Department of Legal Studies at the University of Bologna. Professor Floridi is supported in this work by Dr. Jessica Morley and Ms. Renée Sirbu from Yale University, and two rapporteurs: Ms. Emmie Hine (Universities of Bologna and Yale) and Mr. Huw Roberts (University of Oxford).
Scientific Outputs
A series of papers authored by the conference participants will be disseminated in a series of scientific publications published in an open-access format.
Fellowships
The Fondazione Giorgio Cini is pleased to announce the availability of thirteen fully funded fellowships for young researchers interested in attending the three-day symposium “Global Health in the AI Age: Charting a Course for Ethical Implementation and Societal Benefit,” to be held in Venice from November 7th to November 9th, 2024. The deadline for Applications is September 15th, 2024.
The call for fellowships has closed.
Download Call for Applications
Program
Thursday 7 November 2024
2pm — 2:10pm Welcome Address
Daniele Franco, Scientific Director, Fondazione Giorgio Cini.
2:10pm — 3pm Opening Remarks
Luciano Floridi, Yale University, US, and University of Bologna, Italy.
3pm — 3:30pm Framing the debate
Jessica Morley, Yale University, US.
Although there is plethora of guidance for the ethical development and use of AI in general, specific sectors of application have seen less of this activity. In the domain of global health, the leading voice for the ethics of AI has been the World Health Organization which has issued specific guidance on the ethics and governance for AI for health, and more recently guidance for the development and use of Large Multimodal Models in health. In this talk I will discuss the proposed guidance by WHO, examining the six ethical principles that form the foundation of the documents, and situate it within the broader ecosystem of global governance. As the implementation of the WHO guidance is still ongoing I will then focus on its impact in the development of AI ethics tools and in the revision of institutional approaches such as ethics review boards.
Keynote: Effy Vayena, Swiss Institute of Technology (ETH).
Respondent: Ravi Parikh, University of Pennsylvania, US.
Q&A
Many expect that AI will help to solve complex problems in medicine, whether by improving quality of care and access, improving diagnostic capacities, offering new more targeted therapies, or reducing costs. In particular, AI has been promoted as a means of addressing persistent problems of health equity, including in low and middle income countries. Yet AI is not a silver bullet for medicine. The past decade has seen a growing push to address serious issues with AI in medicine, such as recurrent issues around algorithmic bias. While essential for reducing the risk that AI systems replicate and amplify existing forms of societal inequality and discrimination, a narrow focus on the improvement of algorithm performance misses the broader context required for AI to operate as designed. This talk explores the kinds of investments that are needed, particularly in low and middle income countries and in higher income countries with significant health disparities, in order to ensure that AI systems promote health and equity. Without significant, foundational investments in the social, political, and infrastructural context necessary for AI, critical resources for health will be wasted, perhaps causing more harm than good.
Keynote: Amelia Fiske, University of Munich (TUM), Germany.
Respondent: Enrico Coiera, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Australia.
Q&A
7:30pm — 8:15pm Panel: From Regulation to Standards and Implementation
Sophie Van Baalen, Rathenau Instituut, Netherlands.
Alexandre Dias Porto Chiavegatto Filho, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Federica Mandreoli, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Moderator: Glenn Cohen, Harvard Law School, US.
8:15pm — 8:30pm Closing Remarks
Friday 8 November 2024
9:20am — 9:30am Greetings
Gianfelice Rocca, President Fondazione Giorgio Cini.
Opening Remarks
Luciano Floridi, Yale University, US, and University of Bologna, Italy.
Keynote: Angeliki Kerasidou, University of Oxford, UK.
Respondent: Federica Mandreoli, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Q&A
Social determinants of health are the conditions of the places where we live, play, work and gather. These include a wide range of factors, such as socioeconomic status, neighborhood and physical environment, healthcare access and quality, social support networks, education and literacy, employment conditions, food environment, cultural and social norms, early childhood experiences, social exclusion and discrimination, access to transportation, and stress and psychosocial factors. The importance of studying social determinants of health to create effective public health policies and healthcare interventions is well-established. However, data is not always at the ready. Advances in artificial intelligence and the availability of massive datasets generated from digital and remote sensing tools offer opportunities for capturing granular details on the conditions of the spaces people occupy. This talk will highlight how data from social media, mobile phones, street images, and satellite images can be used to study social determinants of health and the impact of policies that impact health.
Keynote: Elaine Nsoesie, Boston University School of Public Health, US.
Respondent: Kee Yuan Ngiam, National University Hospital, Singapore.
Q&A
Leveraging large datasets and identifying complex underlying patterns in well curated data allows the technological advances in machine learning to offer products that enhance clinical accuracy, reduce health costs, improve efficiency, save time and resource, whilst minimising human errors. Whilst key applications include automated diagnostics, clinical decision support and predictive and pre-emptive personalized medicine for whole populations, the current reality of adopted products falls in diagnostic and descriptive domains.
The successful implementation of machine learning in these domains requires a structured approach grounded in implementation science and the TURBO framework – testable, useable, reliable, beneficial and operable platforms, adhering to national research ethics, clinical and research guidelines such as STARD-AI, QUADAS-AI, local governance frameworks, national regulatory adherence and thorough health-system research approvals. Utilizing the UK’s NHS as a case example, tangible solutions include developing clear guidelines for AI integration, conducting pilot studies to demonstrate efficacy, and establishing multidisciplinary teams to oversee implementation. Here, collaborations with industry will become increasingly visible as clinical AI advances are realised.
If AI is the ‘new electricity’, it will bring both foreseeable applications and unexpected innovations. It is crucial to identify which platforms can seamlessly integrate with existing clinical pathways and which ones will necessitate disrupting current care models to enable their optimal adoption for patient benefit.
Keynote: Hutan Ashrafian, Imperial College London.
Respondent: Sara Gerke, College of Law, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Q&A
Keynote: Charlotte Blease, Uppsala University, Sweden.
Respondent: Alexandre Dias Porto Chiavegatto Filho, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Q&A
6:30pm — 7:15pm Panel: The Geopolitics of Global Health and AI.
Sandeep Reddy, Queensland University of Technology, Australia.
Jessica Morley, Yale University, US.
Tamara Sunbul, John Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Saudi Arabia.
Moderator: Naomi Lee, BMJ Global Health.
7:15pm — 7:30pm Closing Remarks: Luciano Floridi, Yale University, US and University of Bologna, Italy.
Saturday 9 November 2024
9:20am — 9:30am Opening Remarks
Luciano Floridi, Yale University, US and University of Bologna, Italy.
9:30am — 11am Medical AI: Legal, Ethical, and Regulatory Considerations.
Keynote: Glenn Cohen, Harvard Law School, US.
Respondent: Melissa McCradden, Women’s and Children’s Hospital Network AI Director and THRF Clinical Research Fellow at the Australian Institute for Machine Learning, Australia.
Q&A
Integrating AI in healthcare raises concerns about safety, reliability, and ethical use, highlighting the urgent need for a harmonized global regulatory framework. The current regulatory landscape for AI in healthcare varies significantly across jurisdictions, with countries and regions adopting different approaches based on their specific needs and priorities. In this talk, I argue that while these efforts (e..g, the EU AI Act) are commendable, the lack of a unified global approach to AI regulation in healthcare can lead to inconsistencies, confusion, and potential risks for patients and healthcare providers. To address these challenges, fostering international collaboration and working towards a harmonized regulatory framework for AI in healthcare is crucial. This harmonization would ensure that AI systems adhere to consistent safety standards, transparency, accountability, and fairness, regardless of where they are developed or deployed. By establishing a standard set of principles and guidelines, regulators can promote the responsible development and use of AI technologies in healthcare while facilitating cross-border collaboration and innovation. Moreover, global harmonization of AI regulation in healthcare would benefit all stakeholders, including regulators,
healthcare providers, AI developers, and patients. Through collaborative efforts, these stakeholders can establish comprehensive and efficient regulatory frameworks that prioritize patient safety, privacy, and ethical considerations in the development and deployment of AI technologies. This collaborative approach would foster greater trust in AI-driven healthcare solutions, encouraging wider adoption and improving patient outcomes worldwide.
Keynote: Sandeep Reddy, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Respondent: Esther Bleicher, Hello Heart and Alliance for Ai in Healthcare.
Q&A
2:30pm — 3pm Summary of the Symposium
Luciano Floridi, Yale University, US, and University of Bologna, Italy.
3pm — 3:10pm Closing Remarks and goodbye
Gianfelice Rocca, President Fondazione Giorgio Cini.
SPEAKER BIOS
Lead for Applied AI and Big Data at the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London and Chief Scientific Officer of Preemptive Health at Flagship Pioneering. (Google Scholar)
Associate Professor (Docent) at the Participatory eHealth and Health Data Research Group at Uppsala University, Sweden. (Google Scholar)
General Counsel at Hello Heart, Co-Chair Federal Engagement and Regulatory Affairs Committee Alliance for AI In Healthcare.
Director of the Centre for Health Informatics, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, and Foundation Professor in Medical Informatics, Macquarie University, Australia. (Google Scholar)
James A. Attwood and Leslie Williams Professor of Law, Deputy Dean, and Faculty Director of the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology & Bioethics at Harvard Law School, US. (Google Scholar)
Alexandre Dias Porto Chiavegatto Filho
Associate Professor at the School of Public Health of the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Google Scholar)
Senior Research Associate at the Institute for the History and Ethics of Medicine at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany. (Google Scholar)
Professor and Founding Director, Digital Ethics Center, Yale University, US and Professor of Sociology of Culture and Communication at the University of Bologna, IT.
Associate Professor of Law and Richard W. & Marie L. Corman Scholar, College of Law, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Associate Professor at the Ethox Centre and research fellow at the Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities, University of Oxford, UK.
Head of Organisational Transformation at NICE UK, formerly Vice Chair for the ITU/WHO Focus Group on Artificial Intelligence for Health and Senior Executive Editor at The Lancet.
Professor at the FIM Department of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy. (Google Scholar)
Assistant Professor at the Division of Clinical and Public Health in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital Network AI Director and THRF Clinical Research Fellow at the Australian Institute for Machine Learning, Australia. (Google Scholar)
Postdoctoral Associate, Digital Ethics Center, Yale University (Google Scholar)
Senior Consultant at the Division of General Surgery (Thyroid & Endocrine Surgery) at the National University Hospital, specializing in Thyroid and Endocrine surgical disorders, Singapore. (Google Scholar)
Associate Professor in the Department of Global Health at the Boston University School of Public Health, US. (Google Scholar)
Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy and Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and a practicing oncologist, US. (Google Scholar)
Sandeep Reddy
MBBS DPH MMgmt MSc MBAcert PhD SFHEA FCHSM FAIDH CHIA CHE ECFMG
Professor and Head of Discipline, Healthcare Management, School of Public Health and Social Work Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Medical Director of Clinical Informatics at John Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Saudi Arabia.
Senior researcher in medical technologies at Rathenau Instituut, Netherlands.
Professor of Bioethics at the Swiss Institute of Technology (ETH) and a renowned expert at the intersection of medicine, data, and ethics, Switzerland. (Google Scholar)