WHO Calls For Caution in Using AI in Healthcare

The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning against the use of artificial intelligence in public healthcare, stating that AI in healthcare may reach judgments that might be skewed or misapplied.

WHO’s Concerns regarding AI in Healthcare:

WHO stated that while it was excited about the promise of AI, it was concerned about the following: 

•  How it would be used to enhance the accessibility of health information
•  How people would use it as a tool to support decision-making
•  Whether leaders would be able to use it to its full potential to improve diagnostic treatment.

The agency issued a statement in which it pointed out that the data utilized for training AI may be biased and produce information that is either misleading or wrong, and that the models may be exploited in order to manufacture misinformation.

It also stated that it was “imperative” to evaluate the hazards associated with the use of created large language model tools (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, in order to safeguard and improve human welfare as well as public health.

This word of caution comes at a time when artificial intelligence applications are fast becoming more popular, emphasizing a technology that has the potential to upend the way businesses and society function.

The statement also comes only a few weeks after Geoffrey Hinton, a pioneer of artificial intelligence known as the ‘godfather of AI’, quit Google and warned about the technology’s possible repercussions. 

Hinton’s fast advancement of deep learning, which employs mathematical structures known as neural networks to extract trends from large datasets, is his most notable contribution to the field.

He shares the opinion of many other authorities that the competition between large technology companies to build ever-more-advanced AI will inevitably become a global battle.

In the short run, the propagation of false information is Hinton’s primary worry. Over a longer period of time, he is concerned that AI may remove jobs that involve repetitive tasks and potentially even mankind itself when it learns to create and execute its own programming. 

Hinton tweeted that he believed Google has behaved appropriately in the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), but that he had to leave the firm in order to speak up about his concerns.

Moreover, the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) issued a public warning last month about the dangers associated with artificial intelligence (AI) and the necessity of collaboration to alleviate some of those worries. The statement was signed by 19 present and former leaders of the academic community.

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