Citizens’ jury calls for regulation in AI for healhcare
The Irish Platform for Patient Organisations, Science and Industry (IPPOSI) has published a report on the use of AI in healthcare based on the deliberations of a citizens’ jury.
The jury of 24 individuals convened from September to December 2024 set out a series of 25 recommendations for health policy-makers on the safe, ethical and inclusive use of AI in the healthcare system.
The jury also wrote an open letter to the Ministers for Health and Enterprise, Tourism & Employment, setting out the need for an independent regulator and commissioner to oversee AI, alongside a national strategy to chart the course of AI in healthcare over the next five years.
Jurors endorsed the early, low-risk deployment of high-quality, human-monitored AI tools in helping alleviate pressures on the healthcare system, in pioneering advances in treatment and care, and in empowering individuals to take a more active role in their own health.
It also emphasised the need for strong regulation, transparent oversight and robust data security. One of the key recommendations agreed by the jury to build public trust in AI is for the establishment of a statutory regulator to oversee the use of AI in healthcare. This body would be responsible for developing and enforcing standards for those using AI, including its licensing, data governance, and monitoring, as well as imposing penalties for breaches. It would also publish compliance reports to advance the development of AI technologies in healthcare that are secure, transparent and accountable.
The jury also called for the creation of a separate independent commissioner for AI in healthcare to serve as a public interest watchdog and protect patient rights. Their role would be to increase public awareness about how AI is being used in healthcare, make recommendations on the use of individuals’ health data by AI, and independently identify opportunities to strengthen compliance with regulatory standards. The Commissioner would also operate a complaints process for members of the public.
The jury also emphasised the importance of transparency, patient autonomy and informed consent.
While supporting the automatic enrolment of individual health data for training AI, jurors agreed that people must be clearly informed and given the option to opt out. The jury also recommended that patients have the right to be informed when AI is involved in their healthcare and, where feasible, be given the choice to receive diagnosis or treatment without AI involvement.
HSE’s chief clinical information officer and member of the independent Jury oversight panel Prof Richard Greene said: “As a healthcare professional, I welcome the jury’s strong emphasis on keeping humans at the heart of patient care. AI can support us in enhancing decision-making and in delivering better outcomes, but it is an aid to healthcare professionals, not a replacement. To avoid unintended consequences, its use requires continuous oversight, rigorous evaluation, and clear accountability, with humans firmly in the loop.”
IPPOSI Chairperson Joan Johnston added: “The citizens’ jury is a truly fascinating process, and these individuals have shown incredible leadership, pragmatism and creativity throughout their deliberations. A statutory regulatory body, backed by independent public oversight, that works to ensure the safeguarding of health data, is a worthy recommendation by the jury, and IPPOSI echoes its call on Government to immediately start work on a national strategy for the future use of AI in healthcare that reflects the priorities set out by jurors.”
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