A report has been released evaluating the experience of implementing an artificial intelligence tool from Babylon Health in Rwanda, following a pilot of its chatbot tech in November 2021.
The pilot forms part of a programme involving the World Economic Forum with an aim to create a ‘soft governance’ framework to facilitate the responsible use of AI – chatbots, in this case – in healthcare.
By developing its ‘Chatbots RESET framework’ and testing the principles, the programme hopes to provide guidance into the use of chatbots across a range of principles including: inclusiveness, efficacy, safety/ non- maleficence, integrity, explainability, data protection, human agency, and accountability.
One of the pilots focused on an AI triage service application in Rwanda, which evaluated the Babylon solution across three principles from the framework; safety, accountability and transparency.
The healthcare service in Rwanda makes use of Babyl, developed by Babylon which allows patients to book appointments and consult with doctors and nurses via mobile devices.
The tool, localised for Rwanda and taking into account language, epidemiology, culture and health system pathways, asks questions to patients and collects the necessary information about their symptoms.
The report states: “The experience and lessons learned from this pilot… reinforce the benefits of using the Chatbots RESET framework to govern the responsible use of AI in healthcare. For private and public sector organisations concerned about the lack of concrete regulations for the use of AI in healthcare applications, the pilot outcomes point the way forward for the adoption of AI.”
Crystal Rugege, Managing Director at the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Rwanda, added: “The pilot plays a vital role in ensuring that the technology is deployed responsibly. This pilot is of notable significance since the AI-enabled triage service will eventually be accessible to most of the population through community-based health insurance, demonstrating the utility of chatbots in high-tech and low-tech settings. We hope this pilot has brought us a step closer to responsibly increasing access to healthcare.”
To view the report, please click here.
