Stratospheric Safety Standards: How Aviation Could Steer Regulation of AI in Health

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become an integral part of various industries, including healthcare. As AI continues to advance, it is crucial to establish robust safety standards to ensure its responsible and ethical use. Drawing inspiration from the aviation industry, which has a long history of stringent safety regulations, we can learn valuable lessons on how to steer the regulation of AI in health.

The Importance of Safety Standards

AI has the potential to revolutionize healthcare by improving diagnostics, treatment plans, and patient outcomes. However, without proper safety standards, there is a risk of unintended consequences, such as biased algorithms, privacy breaches, or incorrect diagnoses. Just as aviation prioritizes safety to protect passengers and crew, healthcare must prioritize safety to protect patients and healthcare providers.

Lessons from Aviation

The aviation industry has a well-established framework for safety standards, which can serve as a model for regulating AI in health. Here are some key lessons we can learn:

1. Regulatory Bodies: Aviation has regulatory bodies like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that set and enforce safety standards. Similarly, the healthcare industry needs a governing body to establish and oversee safety regulations for AI in health.
2. Standardization: Aviation has standardized procedures, protocols, and checklists to ensure consistent safety practices. Similarly, AI in health should have standardized guidelines and protocols to ensure consistent and safe use across different healthcare settings.
3. Training and Certification: Pilots and aviation personnel undergo rigorous training and certification processes to ensure their competence and adherence to safety protocols. Similarly, healthcare professionals and AI developers should receive specialized training and certification to ensure they understand the risks and best practices associated with AI in health.
4. Reporting and Investigation: Aviation has a robust system for reporting incidents, near misses, and conducting thorough investigations to identify the root causes and prevent future occurrences. Similarly, healthcare should establish a reporting and investigation system to identify AI-related incidents, analyze their causes, and implement corrective measures.
5. Continuous Improvement: The aviation industry constantly learns from incidents and near misses to improve safety standards and practices. Similarly, the healthcare industry should foster a culture of continuous improvement by analyzing AI-related incidents, updating regulations, and sharing best practices.

Collaboration between Industries

Aviation and healthcare may seem like unrelated industries, but they share a common goal of ensuring safety. By fostering collaboration between these industries, we can leverage the expertise and experience of aviation professionals to develop robust safety standards for AI in health.

Aviation professionals can provide valuable insights into risk assessment, incident management, and safety culture, which can be applied to the regulation of AI in health. This collaboration can help healthcare professionals navigate the complexities of AI and ensure its safe integration into healthcare systems.

Conclusion

As AI continues to transform the healthcare landscape, it is crucial to establish stratospheric safety standards to protect patients and healthcare providers. By drawing inspiration from the aviation industry’s robust safety regulations, we can steer the regulation of AI in health towards responsible and ethical use. Collaboration between aviation and healthcare professionals will be key in developing and implementing these safety standards, ensuring that AI in health operates at the highest level of safety and efficacy.