The Public Forum on Ethics and AI Health Research convened on 24th January 2024, at the Tun Mohamed Suffian Auditorium, Faculty of Law, Universiti Malaya, under the moderation of Dr. Dan O'Connor, Head of Research Environment at Wellcome Trust, London. Dr. O'Connor skillfully facilitated discussions among esteemed panellists and participants, fostering a robust exchange of ideas and insights.
Accompanying Dr. O'Connor were four distinguished panellists:
1. Dr. Mohd Adli Bin MD Ali - Assistant Professor, International Islamic University Malaysia, Malaysia.
2. Dr. Barry Solaiman - Assistant Dean and Professor, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar.
3. Dr. Muhammad Firdaus Bin Abdul Aziz - Deputy Dean, Faculty of Law, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia.
4. Dr. Effy Vayena - Assistant Dean and Professor, ETH Zurich, Switzerland.
Their expertise and diverse perspectives enriched the dialogue, offering valuable insights into the ethical dimensions and implications of AI in health research within the Malaysian and global contexts.
During the forum, attendees also had the privilege of engaging with Mr. Gurmit Sandhu, an AI Practitioner for Digital Health Technologies, who presented on "A Dashboard to Support The Value Assessment of Digital Health Technologies". Mr. Sandhu's presentation provided attendees with practical insights into leveraging AI for the assessment of digital health technologies, further enriching the discourse on AI's role in healthcare evaluation and implementation.
The forum served as a pivotal platform for attendees to delve into the transformative potential of AI in healthcare while navigating the ethical considerations and challenges inherent in its adoption. Discussions highlighted the need for continued collaboration, regulatory frameworks and ethical guidelines to ensure the responsible and equitable integration of AI in healthcare practices and research.
The Public Forum on Ethics and AI Health Research catalysed meaningful dialogue and collaboration among attendees, laying the foundation for future endeavours aimed at harnessing the benefits of AI while upholding ethical standards and safeguarding patient welfare.