Artificial Intelligence

“Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming public health, offering powerful tools to modernize health systems and services. AI promises to improve health outcomes, enhance efficiency, and drive innovation. PAHO is deeply committed to supporting all Member States in integrating AI into their public health systems. Embracing AI in public health is a collective effort to ensure no one is left behind.”—Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director, PAHO/WHO

The use of AI in public health must be guided by superior technical and ethical considerations aimed to mitigate ethical risk in public health and related policy interventions, reflected in the following eight guiding principles:

1. People-centered. Actions and solutions must be people-centered and not be used solely by itself. As one of many technologies to aid public health, AI should respect the rights of the individual.
2. Ethically grounded. Discussions, developments, and implementation must be grounded in the globally recognized ethical principles of human dignity, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice.
3. Transparent. Transparent approaches must always be used and communicated when developing AI algorithms.
4. Data-protected. Privacy, confidentiality, and security of data use must be foundational to every AI development.
5. Demonstrates scientific integrity. AI interventions should follow scientific best practice, including being reliable, reproducible, fair, honest, and accountable.
6. Open and shareable. Everything must be as open and shareable as possible. Tools and underlying concepts of openness must be a feature and a critical success factor of any AI development.
7. Nondiscriminatory. Fairness, equality, and inclusiveness in impact and design should always form the foundation of any AI for public health initiative.
8. Human-controlled technology. Formal processes for human control and review of automated decisions are mandatory.