On 12 February, a Motion for a European Parliament Resolution was adopted in Plenary, following the adoption of the own-initiative report on “A comprehensive European industrial policy on artificial intelligence and robotics”.
By adopting this Motion, the Parliament acknowledges the potential of the use of AI and robotics in healthcare and more particularly with regard to the promotion of personalised medicine, healthcare technologies as well as improving quality of life and fostering innovative processes in the medical field. The Commission and Council will now considered the Motion adopted in Plenary. After careful examination, the Commission may decide to act on it.
Key elements
1. Big data, machine-learning & potential of AI
Emphasis on the future of high-performance and cloud computing in the processing of big data. Machine learning, exponential leaps in data availability and cloud computing fuel research initiatives guiding the development of medical treatments and analysing data streams to detect health threats, predicting disease outbreaks and counselling patients to identify care gaps;
Nothing that combining AI with human diagnosis tends to significantly lower the human error rate of doctors.
2. Personalised healthcare
Acknowledgement of impact of sensors in the field of robotics, enhancing the scope of care giving and enables patients to have more personalised treatment and services, and generate more meaningful data;
Recognition of AI impact on wellness, prevention, diagnoses, research and its great potential for designing personalised care.
3. Regulatory framework
Need for flexible regulatory frameworks for innovation and development of new technologies and uses of AI, including the current regulatory system for medical devices being in need of an update;
Calling on the Commission to work on strategies and policies that can position the EU as a world-leader in the growing field of health care technology.
4. Digital Europe, Funding & Investments
Supporting Digital Europe objectives and calling for increased funding in health-related AI technologies.
In December, the European Commission presented a coordinated plan on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to foster the development and use of AI in Europe. Moreover, the High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence released the first draft of its Ethics Guidelines for the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) and open a public consultation on 19 December 2018. This first draft sets out how developers and users can make sure AI respects fundamental rights, applicable regulation and core principles, and how the technology can be made technically robust and reliable.
