What is it about?
Given the rapid onset of an artificial intelligence (AI) revolution in health care our research team at the Dr. Gilles Arcand Centre for Health Equity wanted to broadly explore how a social accountability strategy, and linked health equity concepts, are being used to guide artificial intelligence across the Canadian health care landscape.
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Why is it important?
At a time where the digital divide has yet to be conquered, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a revolutionary technology in health care. Alongside AI’s revolutionary impact in health care is the growing concern for continued compassion deficits or indifference towards people, regions, and communities that are already marginalized and affected by the digital divide and health inequities. An indifference towards already marginalized regions in Canada or other similar regions globally, threatens to continue historic compassion deficits that can sideline these regions from the benefits of the AI revolution in health care.
Perspectives
This study summarizes the key themes of a rapid review of literature that reflect (1) the need to design equity into AI technologies; (2) the urgency for policies and regulations for AI; and (3) the inclusion of community voices in the implementation of AI in health care. The concepts of equity, marginalized populations, and engagement with community and partners were also identified across all 3 themes, which reflect key components of a social accountability strategy. Unless there is a course correction, AI in the Canadian health care landscape is poised to worsen the digital divide and health inequity. This should also raise concern for the trajectory of AI in health care in other global contexts.
Alex Anawati
Northern Ontario School of Medicine University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Artificial intelligence and social accountability in the Canadian health care landscape: A rapid literature review, PLOS Digital Health, September 2024, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pdig.0000597.
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