WASHINGTON — A new special publication from the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) provides a framework to guide responsible, effective, equitable, and human-centered use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health and medicine. The development and deployment of AI in health are accelerating, and the promise for transformative gains is substantial. Yet without close attention to risks posed by these technologies, the possibility exists for unintended, potentially harmful consequences, the publication says.

The AI Code of Conduct framework is intended as a touchstone for organizations and groups developing approaches for use in their specific contexts. The publication presents six commitments and 10 principles to align the field around responsible development and application of AI. The commitments, which provide the anchor elements of the framework, are: advance humanity, ensure equity, engage impacted individuals, improve workforce well-being, monitor performance, and innovate and learn.

Over the past decade, progress in AI technologies has introduced unprecedented opportunities for advances in health, health care, and biomedical science. While new tools are available to improve effectiveness and efficiency in myriad applications, challenges in health care persist, including increasing costs of care, staff burnout and shortages, and the growing disease burden of an aging population. The need for new approaches to address these long-standing challenges is evident, and AI offers both promise and risks, the publication says.

The framework principles and commitments aim to engage a range of issues, from the importance of understanding, testing, and transparency related to component algorithms, to protection from errors in individual and population-wide applications. They also emphasize access to the benefits of AI and availability in both high- and low-resource health care settings; data security and individual privacy; accuracy and reliability of results; explainability; and accountability. Other challenges with the use of AI are related to user preferences and workflow integration, as well as the risks of exacerbating existing system biases and introducing new forms of bias.

All key stakeholders — from developers and researchers to the health care workforce, patients, and advocates — must play a role in ensuring that the use of AI in health contributes positively to society and avoids the risks associated with incongruent or malicious use of the tools and technologies, the publication says. To achieve trustworthy health AI at scale, its development, implementation, use, and monitoring will require intentional and sustained collaboration among all engaged stakeholders.

“The promise of AI extends beyond its technological capabilities to encompass a more profound reconsideration of health and health care, aiming to improve outcomes for everyone, particularly our most vulnerable,” said Victor J. Dzau, president of the National Academy of Medicine. “Our new special publication establishes robust guidance for the responsible and effective use of AI in health and health care, ensuring alignment with the foundational commitment to improve health and well-being for all while upholding the highest standards of ethics, integrity, safety, and effectiveness.”

Members of the authoring group will discuss the Code of Conduct framework, translating and applying the code, and an overview of key priorities during a webinar on June 12.

This special publication was completed with support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, California Health Care Foundation, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health. The special publication was authored by experts who were assembled under the charge of the National Academy of Medicine. The views presented in the publication are those of individual contributors and do not represent formal consensus positions of the sponsoring organizations, authors’ organizations, the National Academy of Medicine, or the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The National Academy of Medicine, established in 1970 as the Institute of Medicine, is an independent organization of eminent professionals from diverse fields including health and medicine; the natural, social, and behavioral sciences; and beyond. It serves alongside the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering as an adviser to the nation and the international community. Through its domestic and global initiatives, the NAM works to address critical issues in health, medicine, and related policy and inspire positive action across sectors. The NAM collaborates closely with its peer academies and other divisions within the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Contact:
Dana Korsen, Director of Media Relations
Office of News and Public Information
202-334-2138; email news@nas.edu