KEY TAKEAWAYS
- In their latest guide on the use of AI in healthcare communications, the HCA makes recommendations for the development of a robust and clear AI policy.
- AI policies should ensure the ethical, responsible, and transparent use of AI; the technology should be intended to support human work, rather than replace it.
In their 2023 position statement, The AI Roadmap, the Healthcare Communications Association (HCA) issued a call to action: “it’s time to act on AI”. Now, with the continued increase in generative AI use across healthcare communications, the HCA has issued further guidance on the creation of AI policies. This new guidance sits alongside the roadmap, providing insights on how to develop AI policies that ensure the responsible and ethical use of this powerful technology.
The HCA’s guide outlines key features and considerations for the development of a robust AI policy:
- A clearly stated purpose: the aims of an AI policy must be clear and can range from providing rules on AI use to ensuring that AI supports human work rather than replacing it.
- Which AI tools can be used: it should be very clear which AI tools are approved for use and which are not.
- Ethical and legal considerations: policies should prohibit the uploading of confidential data to AI systems without permission. Exceptions may be the use of closed, proprietary systems, but this should be clearly stated in the policy.
- Intellectual Property: as well as ensuring data protection, it is important that the use of AI-developed content does not infringe upon the intellectual property of others.
- Training: organisations should inform employees, relevant stakeholders, and suppliers of their AI policy, and provide adequate training so that it is fully understood and implemented.
- Accuracy and bias: to ensure compliance with ethical and regulatory codes, and to avoid inherent bias and discrimination, human oversight is required to evaluate, review, and edit all AI outputs, including citations.
- Transparency: organisations should always be open about their use of AI, including declaring its use when it has a significant impact on communications outputs.
Considering the speed at which AI technology is evolving, the HCA advises that organisations review, update, and communicate their AI policy every 3 to 6 months. Moreover, the HCA encourages healthcare communication professionals to recognise the transformative potential of AI tools and embrace them responsibly, openly, and safely.
The HCA encourages healthcare communication professionals to recognise the transformative potential of AI tools and embrace them responsibly, openly, and safely.
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