Responsible AI for healthy living, working, and aging
Pressure on the healthcare system is increasing due to an aging population, shortages of healthcare personnel, and more lifestyle-related chronic conditions. These trends are particularly noticeable in the northern Netherlands due to the socio-demographic composition of the population. Healthy working, living, and aging are already major challenges in healthcare, and will become even more so in the future.
The role of AI in healthcare
AI can help keep healthcare accessible, affordable, and efficient. AI systems can support healthcare professionals in decision-making, monitoring, and diagnostics. At the same time, the use of AI in healthcare raises important questions about privacy, transparency, inclusivity, and human control.
The ELSA Lab Northern Netherlands therefore focuses on the cultural, ethical, legal, socio-political, and psychological aspects of AI in healthcare decision-making. The lab explicitly looks at low SES perspectives and reducing health inequalities, so that AI aligns with public values and the fundamental rights of all patient groups.
About the ELSA Lab Northern Netherlands
The ELSA Lab Northern Netherlands develops knowledge for the responsible use of AI in healthcare. The lab investigates various examples, patient groups, and stages of life in order to gather as broad a knowledge base as possible for the responsible development and implementation of AI in healthcare. The lab aims to become the regional center of expertise for responsible AI in healthcare.
The lab works on the basis of three core concepts from AIREA-NL (availability, use, and performance) to cover the entire AI lifecycle: from building systems and human-machine interaction to the impact on society. The goal is to develop applicable guidelines and useful tools for safe, explainable, and inclusive AI. The lab will have succeeded if organizations actually find and use the ELSA tools, thereby contributing to the responsible development and implementation of AI in healthcare.
Guiding responsible AI in healthcare
The lab is working on practical tools for healthcare organizations that want to use AI. Knowledge institutions, public-private organizations, governments, and citizens/patients are working together according to the quadruple helix principle. This means, among other things, that the lab is working on:
- An online ELSA tool with practical steps, checklists, and examples for responsible AI in healthcare.
- Research via four use cases: genetic data, monitoring data, personal health data, and synthetic data.
- Translating principles into practice: from ethics and law to requirements, design choices, and implementation.
- Participatory work with patients, professionals, and administrators—with special attention to low-SES groups.
Collaboration partners
The lab is embedded in Northern Netherlands initiatives such as DASH (Data Science Center in Health), HTRIC (Health Technology Research & Innovation Cluster), and the AI Hub Northern Netherlands. There is also collaboration with foreign experts on responsible AI and inclusion.
Want to know more or collaborate?
For more information, visit the ELSA Lab Northern Netherlands website. Prefer to contact us directly? Please contactMirjam Plantinga, project leader of ELSA-NN, at m.plantinga@umcg.nl.
