Rogue AI ‘doctors’ might find yourself killing sufferers with dodgy well being recommendation warn WHO
A stark warning comes from top health boss Dr Hans Henri Kluge amid fears a lack of training in AI could result in ‘mistakes’ and a ‘high human cost’
You shouldn’t use AI for a health diagnosis(Image: Getty Images)
Expers fear rogue AI ‘doctors’ could end up killing patients if left free to dish out dodgy health advice. The warning comes from top health boss Dr Hans Henri Kluge amid fears a lack of training in AI could result in “mistakes” and a “high human cost”.
The World Health Organisation bigwig reckons health services need to urgently improve the way they control artificial intelligence-based technology in hospitals or risk things going horribly wrong with patient care.
During a talk to health workers in Lisbon, Portugal, Dr Kluge voiced concerns just one in 12 – or 8% – of 53 countries in the WHO European Health Region have a specific AI health strategy. While at the same time nearly two-thirds are already deploying AI in medical diagnostics and half have brought in AI-powered patient chatbots.
Dr Kluge said: “Here in Portugal, AI-powered image analysis is helping clinicians identify thoracic diseases and bone fractures faster, reducing waiting times in primary care and emergency settings.
AI doctors could claim lives fear medical experts(Image: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“Real patients receiving better care today because of AI. But the governance picture across the European Region is concerning.
“Only one in five countries provides AI education for health professionals before they qualify and just one in four offers training once they are in the workforce. Fewer than half have assessed whether their legal frameworks are fit for purpose.”
The health chief also warned of the risk of a botched AI diagnosis having “real consequences” on patient lives.
He added: “Almost 40% of countries still have no ethical guidance on AI use in health at all. The longer governance lags behind deployment, the higher the human cost. A biased algorithm can produce a wrong diagnosis, for a real patient, with real consequences.
“A health worker trained to trust an AI system they can’t interrogate is not empowered, leading to mistakes outside their control. And all of this erodes public trust in health systems more broadly.”
