Artificial intelligence (AI) has potential to improve the health of communities around the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Therefore, guided by the Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020–2025 and the United Nation (UN) Sustainable Development Goals, WHO is endeavoring to support 193 member states in the digital transformation of their health systems.

For context, in 2018, the WHO and International Telecommunications Union (ITU) laid the foundation for collaborative work on AI for health through a WHO-ITU focus group on “Artificial Intelligence for Health” (FG-AI4H). The initiative aimed to develop a standardized framework for assessing AI-based approaches in health, including applications for diagnosis, triage, and treatment decision-making

In 2023, three UN specialized agencies—the WHO, ITU, and World Intellectual Property Organization—launched the Global Initiative on Artificial Intelligence for Health (GI-AI4H) “to develop technical standards and policy guidance, facilitate knowledge and data sharing, and support evidence-based decisions on the introduction of AI solutions for health.” The GI-AI4H was driven by a global need for harmonized governance standards for health AI. These efforts will be ongoing  to promote alignment between countries and international health authorities.

The current paper highlights four strategic priorities focused on the ethical, regulatory, implementation, and operational dimensions of health AI governance, which GI-AI4H says are foundational to the advancement of equitable, safe, and effective AI for the global community. It will be interesting to see how countries respond.

To download the article on the initiative and its goals, published in the Nature journal, npj digital medicine, click here