GDC to develop rules for ethical AI use in healthcare

The General Dental Council (GDC) has joined a group of regulators in pledging to create a set of ‘high-level principles’ to guide regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) use in the healthcare.

In a joint statement of intent, UK healthcare regulators representing sectors such as dentistry, medicine, nursing and midwifery and social work acknowledged that AI is ‘beginning to transform the way health and social care services are delivered’.

When used appropriately, they saw potential for it to improve patient outcomes, support professionals in delivering high-quality care, and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of health and care services.

However, the regulators also stressed the need for AI usage to be ‘safe, responsible and fair’ – with regulators having an important role to play in ensuring this. With this in mind, they proposed measures to clarify expectations for healthcare professionals using AI, particularly around informing the public about its role in their care.

The statement promises guidance to inform how AI usage is regulated, ‘aimed at creating a coherent, consistent and proportionate approach’. It says: ‘This statement represents the beginning of a formal collaboration across professional regulation in the interests of supporting safe, effective and responsible use of AI in health and social care that is worthy of public trust.’

What risks could AI pose in healthcare?

This comes as a parliamentary report has criticised the freedom for tech developers to ‘pass on liability’ for harm caused by AI, which could make those who use it responsible for mistakes rather than those who create it.

The report, compiled by the Joint Committee on Human Rights, a cross-party committee of MPs and peers, notes that users of AI are ‘often less powerful, have less access to resources, and are not in the best position to identify risks or prevent harm occurring’.

For example, in a dental context, a clinician using AI diagnostic software could face a clinical negligence claim if a patient were harmed, even where the problem originated in a defective AI system.

The report called for immediate government action, including a new AI Bill and an independent statutory oversight body, to ‘create tailored, effective protection for human rights in the UK’.

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