The European Commission has announced that AI Act, a legal framework seeking to address the risks of AI in Europe by setting out clear requirements and obligations in support of “trustworthy AI”, has officially entered into force.
Designed to address risks with AI systems that could lead to “undesirable outcomes”, the Act includes provisions to help mitigate risks created by AI applications; to ban AI practices that pose “unacceptable risks”; to set out clear obligations for both deployers and providers of AI applications deemed to be high risk; and to put in place enforcement and a governance structure at both European and national level.
Under the Act, high risk AI systems include those relating to critical infrastructures which could “put the life and health of citizens at risk”, and those linked to the safety components of products, such as an AI application in robot-assisted surgery. The Act will see these kinds of systems subjected to strict obligations prior to their launch on the market, which cover appropriate human oversight to mitigate risk, detailed information to allow an assessment of compliance, and high quality datasets.
The European AI Office, which was established earlier this year, will be responsible for the Act’s enforcement and implementation within member states, fostering collaboration, innovation, and research in AI.
Artificial intelligence in healthcare: the wider trend
Tomorrow (6 August) HTN is hosting a virtual panel discussion asking whether the reality of AI in healthcare lives up to the hype, along with how to manage bias in healthcare data. Join us at 10am – 11am to listen to panellists discuss what is needed to manage bias, what counts as responsible AI, how to ensure AI is inclusive and equitable, and more. Register for your free NHS ticket here.
In July we reported on the news that global healthcare AI company Huma Therapeutic Limited completed a Series D funding round with financing of over $80 million and launched the Huma Cloud Platform, designed to help accelerate the adoption of digital and AI across care and research.
We also covered how a team from the University of Huddersfield is working on the development of a secure threat intelligence sharing platform, with the aim of helping to protect AI-enabled diagnostic tools from cyber attacks.
And HTN highlighted the partnership between Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and health tech startup Newton’s Tree which will see the startup’s enterprise AI platform deployed across the trust, to support Leeds in rapidly scaling its ability to evaluate AI applications.
Digital healthcare in Europe
Over on our sister site HTN International, we’ve been sharing plenty of news and updates on health tech across Europe.
We highlighted how Nordic-based tech company Tietoevry has successfully bid for contract from a large Swedish university hospital with its openEHR solution; that the Ministry of Health in the Netherlands issued a tender for the procurement of a platform, services and infection disease control system worth an estimated €100 million; and that Spanish digital healthcare company Mediktor acquired San Franciso-based Sensely, provider of an “empathy-driven” conversation platform designed to support hospital systems and insurance services.
Don’t forget to check out HTN International for insights and interviews on digital healthcare on an international level, from Europe and beyond.
