The potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce healthcare disparities has sparked a heated debate among industry leaders. At the recent Reuters Total Health conference in Chicago, two healthcare executives presented contrasting views on AI’s role in addressing health inequities.
Anil Saldanha, chief innovation officer at Rush University System for Health, expressed skepticism about AI’s current ability to mitigate disparities. He argued that the healthcare industry is still grappling with bringing health equity to communities, and introducing AI might amplify existing issues. Saldanha emphasized that AI’s effectiveness is limited by the quality of data it’s trained on, pointing out that data integrity remains a significant challenge in healthcare.
On the other hand, Rebecca Kaul, PhD, senior vice president and chief of digital innovation & transformation at Northwell Health, took a more optimistic stance. She believes that the ethical use of AI by healthcare professionals can help close gaps in care. Kaul highlighted AI’s potential to improve access to care, especially in rural areas, by providing information to patients without in-person access and connecting rural clinicians with specialists.
Kaul also noted AI’s capacity to personalize care and reduce language barriers, claiming it can translate into over 80 languages. She argued that awareness of bias in data sets allows for model adjustments to remove such biases and introduce diversity in training data.
The debate concluded with a poll showing that 89% of the audience believed AI has at least some potential to reduce healthcare disparities. However, both executives agreed that careful implementation and ethical considerations are crucial as the healthcare industry navigates the integration of AI technologies.
As the discussion continues, it’s clear that while AI holds promise for addressing health inequities, its successful application will require ongoing efforts to ensure data integrity, ethical use, and a focus on improving access to care for all communities.
SEE: “Can AI Reduce Healthcare Disparities? Health Execs Debate” (October 10, 2024)
