Is Doctor AI safe? A new international report on the use of modern technology in health

Dr. Hans-Henri Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, noted that while artificial intelligence has become a reality for millions of health workers and patients across the European region, “Without clear strategies, data privacy, legal barriers, and investment in AI literacy, we risk deepening inequalities rather than reducing them.”.

The report showed that preparedness remains uneven and fragmented, as only 4 countries in the European region have a national strategy dedicated to artificial intelligence in the field of health, and 7 other countries are working on developing one, out of a total of 50 countries included in the report in the European region.

The importance of AI tools in health systems in the European region is increasing, with 32 countries already using AI-assisted diagnosis.

“The choice is ours”

Dr. Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, Director of Health Systems at the World Health Organization in Europe, warned that either artificial intelligence will be used to improve people’s health and well-being, reduce the burden on exhausted health workers, and reduce health care costs, or it may undermine patient safety, compromise privacy, and entrench inequalities in care, adding: “The choice is ours”.

According to the report, across the region, regulations are struggling to keep up with the technology, with about 9 in 10 countries saying legal uncertainty is the main barrier to AI adoption.

8 out of 10 countries cited financial constraints as a major obstacle. Meanwhile, less than 1 in 10 countries have liability standards for AI in health, which specify who is liable if an AI system makes an error or causes harm.

Dr. David Novello Ortiz, Regional Advisor for Data, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Health at the organization, said: “In the absence of clear legal standards, doctors may be reluctant to rely on AI tools, and patients may not have a clear recourse in the event of a problem.”.