Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping health research, creating new opportunities to accelerate scientific discovery, strengthen health systems and improve health outcomes. However, without robust ethical safeguards and oversight, AI-related research could also introduce new risks that undermine human rights, equity and public trust.

A new WHO report, Artificial Intelligence-related health research: ethics review and oversight, provides recommendations for researchers, ethics committees, regulators, funders and policy-makers to help ensure that AI-enabled health research is conducted responsibly and for the benefit of all. The report was jointly developed by WHO experts working in research ethics, science and digital health and AI.

AI is already transforming how health data are analyzed, how research is conducted and how new technologies are developed and evaluated. However, the report warns that existing ethics oversight mechanisms may not always be equipped to address the novel risks associated with AI, including issues related to transparency, bias, fairness, accountability, privacy and potential harms arising from the rapid deployment of AI-enabled tools.