In a recent interview with Healthcare Innovation, Brian Anderson, M.D., chief digital health physician of MITRE Corp. and co-founder of the Coalition for Health AI, mentioned that CHAI was aligning its work with a new Artificial Intelligence Code of Conduct being developed by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Now NAM has provided details about that Code of Conduct development process.
Stewarded by the NAM Leadership Consortium, the effort is a direct response to the growing call for a harmonized set of AI guidelines that can facilitate interoperable governance standards for its development and application. As Anderson explained, the NAM AI Code of Conduct initiative will draw from and build upon related work, including pathbreaking efforts of CHAI. In this respect, it will aim to clarify roles and responsibilities of the many stakeholders on issues of privacy, ethics, equity, accountability, and applicability, at each stage of the AI lifecycle. The Code of Conduct will represent a “best practice” framework, subject to testing, validation, and improvement as the technology and the ability to effectively govern it progresses, NAM said.
Under the strategic guidance of a multi-faceted AICC Steering Committee—comprised of ethics and equity experts, care delivery systems, tech companies, patient advocates, researchers, and payers—the NAM project will describe a national strategy for broad adoption of the harmonized Code of Conduct and describe a national architecture and priority actions to support and advance responsible AI in health, medical care, and health research.
“Involving these accomplished national leaders from across the U.S. is essential for creation of a harmonized, broadly adopted AI Code of Conduct, as well as for development of the national architecture that promotes the equitable and responsible use of AI,” said J. Michael McGinnis, M.D., M.A., the Leonard D. Schaeffer Executive Officer of NAM, in a statement. “This collaborative effort will help ensure that the application of health AI is based on the best science, and is consistent with ethical principles and societal values in pursuit of effectiveness, efficiency, and equity for all members of society.”
NAM said the Code of Conduct initiative will be developed with significant stakeholder and public input—an open process from the outset. NAM will organize informational gatherings and collaborative events and activities which will be used to inform the Code of Conduct. The goal is that the Code and national health care AI architecture be widely adopted, translated for implementation by various stakeholders, and continuously improved to realize AI’s enormous promise.
