WHO Appoints Delft University as Collaborating Centre for AI Health Governance
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially accredited the Delft University of Technology's Digital Ethics Centre in the Netherlands as a WHO Collaborating Centre on artificial intelligence (AI) for health governance. The new accreditation reflects the increasing significance of having responsible, ethical, and evidence-based health governance of AI technologies.
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing medicine at a very fast pace, with tremendous potential to speed up health outcomes, save lives, and improve overall well-being. However, in order for the entire scope of AI to be exploited, there should be good governance frameworks, ethical mechanisms, and robust policies. The WHO Collaborating Centre will ensure ethical application of AI and guide responsible uptake of AI technologies in global health systems.
Embracing Decades of Ethical Research
The designation highlights the centre's rich research heritage in researching responsible innovation. The Centre has led the development of embedding ethical values into the design of digital technology and played a pivotal role in the accountable usage of evolving technologies such as AI. The partnership is a follow-up on previous collaboration between the Centre and WHO, encompassing workshops, consultation, and development of guidelines of the essence.
Professor Jeroen van den Hoven, Scientific Director at Delft Digital Ethics Centre said, “The fruit of two decades of research in digital ethics and responsible innovation, the Delft Digital Ethics Centre is one of the frontrunners in operationalizing ethical values into design requirements for digital technologies such as artificial intelligence."
He added, "We look forward to contributing to the global health community and advancing the responsible use of AI in health."
Supporting Research and Policy Development
The Collaborating Centre will develop research in AI, including priority areas that guide WHO policy-making and the development of guidance. It will also promote international knowledge exchange and offer education materials, such as regional and country-level workshops.
Together with Delft University, the Responsible and Ethical AI for Healthcare Lab will offer insights into implementing WHO's AI guidelines.
