HIMSS Analysis: Healthcare Implications of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act

Policymakers in the European Union have reached a landmark agreement around artificial intelligence. The Artificial Intelligence Act is the world’s first comprehensive attempt to regulate this evolving technology and its wide-ranging implications, seeking to build trust and confidence in an emerging technology. 

As stated in the Public Policy Principles, HIMSS believes “generating genuine trust and transparency in AI algorithms is core to fostering the engagement of the healthcare community in the use of AI.” The rules within the AI Act aim to bring transparency and trust to the use of AI, which HIMSS believes will lead to continued growth in healthcare applications for AI technology. 

“We appreciate the effort of policymakers in the EU to reach this landmark agreement, which is leading the world in tackling the challenge of regulating this evolving technology that has vast potential to improve patient outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and combat clinician burnout,” said Tom Leary, HIMSS senior vice president & head of government relations. 

“We will continue to advocate for government agencies across the globe to collaborate with AI advocates and healthcare leaders to create standardized definitions of AI and promote education among key stakeholders to ensure consistent understanding of AI’s wide-ranging applications in healthcare,” Leary added.  

HIMSS noted in its response to the European Commission’s Data Strategy and White Paper on Artificial Intelligence from 2020 that AI has enormous power to create patient-centric and outcome-oriented medical technologies and solutions. 

Government agencies across the globe must collaborate with AI advocates to create standardized definitions of AI and promote education of those definitions to ensure consistent understanding among wide-ranging applications in healthcare. 

HIMSS noted in its response to the European Commission’s Data Strategy and White Paper on Artificial Intelligence from 2020 that AI has huge power to create patient-centric and outcome-oriented medical technologies and solutions. Patients expect more effective, personalized and convenient services. AI can be applied to ever-growing volumes of research and patient data to understand people at an individual level and to deliver personalized products and services that provide increased medical value and quality of life. However, as an emerging technology AI demands that risks are managed, that trust in its proper use is fostered and that the needs of industry in developing AI tools are considered. 

HIMSS and its members look forward to working with the EU to promote trustworthy rules around AI at an international level to help meet this standardization, including involvement at the G7, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Council of Europe, the G20 and the United Nations, and in particular the World Health Organization.