Microsoft partners launch responsible AI initiative in Europe

In collaboration with many other leading healthcare organizations, Microsoft today announced at the HLTH Europe conference that, as the key technology partner, it will help expand the Trustworthy & Responsible AI Network (TRAIN) to Europe. TRAIN was originally launched in the US March 2024 with the goal of promoting responsible and ethical AI principles, ultimately operationalizing the technology to serve communities in a safe, reliable and ethical manner. The cohort that signed the original US agreement included a variety of leading healthcare organizations of all shapes and sizes.

Now, with TRAIN’s expansion into Europe, innovators hope this initiative will unlock new potential across the continent, especially as the global race to develop and launch AI technology in a meaningful way is underway. The objectives behind the initiative are clear and have enormous implications for helping partner countries in their diligent efforts to make progress in this area. These objectives range from enabling commitments to share best practices among member organizations and the registration of AI systems and algorithms, to developing metrics and tools to standardize and measure the results of AI systems and promoting a national AI results register.

Overall, the goal of the program is clear: to promote responsible AI use and ultimately create a cohesive network where organizations can share resources and grow together.

Sarah Harmon, President of Foundation 29, a key member of TRAIN, explains that with regard to the use of AI in healthcare, “while high-quality data, often from patients, is essential to the advancement of AI technologies, it is also crucial to ensure responsible use of this data.” Ultimately, the goal should be “protecting patient data and promoting a trustworthy environment for AI development” – which is a key objective for TRAIN. Dr. Michel van Genderen, attending physician at the Erasmus Medical Center, further explains that collaboration across borders and with organizations will be of utmost importance in “transforming healthcare using AI.”

This is a growing trend in this area of ​​technology, especially since there have been tremendous advances in this area over the past year. Many organizations are trying to develop frameworks for responsible use of these tools, especially as governments increasingly develop rules and regulations for the technology. Another well-known framework/initiative is, for example, the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI). With key partners including Microsoft, Amazon and Google, in addition to esteemed healthcare organizations such as Stanford Medicine and Mass General Hospital, The purpose of CHAI is to “develop ‘guidelines and guardrails’ to drive high-quality healthcare by promoting the adoption of credible, fair, and transparent healthcare AI systems.”

Why are these coalitions and frameworks so important? The reality is that the world of artificial intelligence is transforming so quickly that standard regulatory bodies cannot keep up with the rapid developments. Organizations promulgating these frameworks hope to guide the development and deployment of these technologies.

Especially in the healthcare field, as many of these technologies will one day be used in the clinical setting and in patient care, guardrails and guidelines are of paramount importance. A thoughtful approach to this technology is undoubtedly paramount given how much the future of healthcare depends on it.