The Coalition for Health AI, which has over 1,300 members, is looking develop standards, validation labs and a national registry of health AI tools.Microsoft’s chief scientific officer, Eric Horvitz spends a lot of time thinking about how to balance the risks and benefits of new technologies. Explosive advancements in artificial intelligence have made this even more imperative, especially in life or death sectors like healthcare.
On Monday, the newly incorporated nonprofit announced its board of directors, which includes Horvitz, and representatives from hospitals, startups, academia, venture capital, patient groups and the federal government. “We can't over regulate in some ways and suppress innovation. We have to also protect patients and inform physicians,” said Horvitz. “CHAI will help with a balanced path forward.
The group, which started as an all-volunteer organization in 2021, felt a sense of urgency to incorporate following President Biden’s AI executive order in October 2023, which specified the crucial need for safety in healthcare applications. It registered as a nonprofit membership organization known as a 5016 in January 2024.
To that end, CHAI also announced a government advisory board with several officials from the Biden Administration. That includes Jonathan Blum, principal deputy administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services; Gil Alterovitz, chief AI officer of the Veterans Health Administration; and Susan Coller Monarez, deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health.