NIH launches program to expand the use of artificial intelligence

Over four years the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will invest $130 million in order to accelerate the use of artificial intelligence in biomedical and behavioral research communities, Healthcare Purchasing News September 14 reported.

To generate tools, resources, and richly detailed data that is responsive to AI approaches, the NIH Common Fund’s Bridge to Artificial Intelligence (Bridge2AI) will assemble team members from diverse backgrounds. Through collaboration, Bridge2IA researchers will create ethically sourced, AI-ready data sets to help solve some of the most urgent human health challenges, for example, genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors that influence a person’s physical condition.

“Generating high-quality ethically sourced data sets is crucial for enabling the use of next-generation AI technologies that transform how we do research,” said Lawrence A. Tabak, D.D.S., Ph.D., Performing the Duties of the Director of NIH. “The solutions to long-standing challenges in human health are at our fingertips, and now is the time to connect researchers and AI technologies to tackle our most difficult research questions and ultimately help improve human health.”

Before utilizing AI for biomedical discovery, ethically created data sets, standards, and best practices for generating biomedical and behavioral data must be established. NIH explained that diversity is fundamental to the ethical generation of data sets and for training future AI technologies to reduce bias and improve effectiveness for all populations, including those who are underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral research.