AI in healthcare: what are the risks for the NHS?

Generative AI - a type of artificial intelligence that can produce various types of content, including text and images - will be transformative for patient outcomes, according to Sir John Bell, a senior government advisor on life sciences.

Sir John is president of the Ellinson Institute of Technology in Oxford - a major new research and development facility investigating global issues, including the use of AI in healthcare.

He says generative AI will improve the accuracy of diagnostic scans and generate forecasts of patient outcomes under different medical interventions, leading to more informed, personalised treatment decisions.

But he warns researchers should not work in isolation, instead innovation should be shared fairly around the country to avoid some communities missing out.

"To achieve these benefits the NHS must unlock the enormous value currently trapped within data silos, to do good while safeguarding against harm," Sir John says.

"Allowing AI access to all the data, within safe and secure research environments, will improve the representativeness, accuracy and equality of AI tools to benefit all walks of society, reducing the financial and economic burden of running a world-leading National Health Service and leading to a healthier nation."

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Source: BBC News, 7 August 2024