As artificial intelligence (AI) applications proliferate, they are starting to affect everyday life in real ways. An example of this is the use of conversational AI systems, also known as chatbots, in healthcare applications. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, chatbots have been used extensively to communicate information about the virus and vaccination, and to assist in symptom checking. Such uses of AI in healthcare can be extremely beneficial, but we must pay attention to the potential negative consequences as well.
Last year, the World Economic Forum assembled a multistakeholder community that co-created Chatbots RESET, a framework for governing the responsible use of chatbots in healthcare. The framework consists of two parts: (1) a set of 10 principles selected from AI ethics and healthcare ethics principles and interpreted within the context of the use of chatbots in healthcare; and (2) operationalization actions for each principle in the form of recommendations to implement in various stages of deployment of chatbots in healthcare. The Chatbots RESET framework is actionable, and can be readily used by developers, providers and regulators. The framework was published in December 2020.
This insight report provides details of each of the pilots along with a summary of their overall feedback. It is hoped that the report serves as a reference for others, enabling them to follow in the
footsteps of these four pioneering organizations, encouraging them to take the lead in using AI technologies responsibly in healthcare applications by implementing the principles and actions from the Chatbots RESET framework.
