New developments are bringing healthcare organizations together to collaborate on artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives across the industry, with the Arlington, Va.-based Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the trade association representing the $398 billion U.S. consumer technology industry, sponsoring a collaboration around artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. According to a press release issued by the CTA on April 4, “More than 30 organizations – from major technology companies to health care industry leaders – are joining the Consumer Technology Association’s (CTA) new initiative on artificial intelligence (AI). The group will examine and advance the impact of AI in health care by providing standards and recommend best practices to enhance the application of the technology.”
As the press release noted, “Committed to driving industry consensus and standardization on definitions and characteristics of AI, CTA recognizes the need to address complex issues associated with the use and application of AI solutions in health care. The effort will serve as a platform for stakeholders across the tech and health care industry to create common terminology and best practices for management and oversight of data.” The objective, the press release noted, is “to ultimately enhance health outcomes, improve efficiencies and reduce health care costs. Members of the working group will closely examine pressing topics in the field of AI such as trustworthiness, ethics and bias,” the release noted.
And the release quoted Gary Shapiro, CEO and president of the CTA, as stating that “AI will boost our wellness and health care by improving outcomes, expanding treatment options and providing cost-cutting efficiencies. We must seize the opportunity to realize the potential of AI ethically, strategically and with clear goals,” Shapiro said in the statement.
“The rapid progress of AI presents great opportunities but a special challenge that needs urgent attention,” said Rene Quashie, CTA’s vice president, policy and regulatory affairs, digital health, said in a statement contained in Thursday’s press release. “This unique working group represents a diverse set of stakeholders across the ecosystem, including clinicians, manufacturers, regulators, public policy and civil rights organizations. The work produced will provide an informed framework for the use of AI in the context of health care.” The initiative, which addresses AI in consumer health, fitness and wellness technology, will be co-chaired by Pat Baird, regulatory head of global software standards at Philips, and Jerry Wilmink, chief business officer at CarePredict.
