Addressing Barriers to Widespread Artificial Intelligence Adoption

At the European Respiratory Society 2024 Congress held September 7-11, 2024, in Vienna, Austria, Io Hui, PhD, researcher at The University of Edinburgh in Scotland, discussed the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in respiratory care, as well as the challenges with widespread adoption and the need for patient-centric AI solutions.

Hui is also the chair of mHealth and eHealth for the European Respiratory Society.

When it comes to the use of AI tools, such as digital twins and their use in respiratory care, Hui emphasized that trust and reliability are major barriers to wider AI adoption. Although AI can be beneficial to many patients, there are a set of challenges when it comes to wider AI adoption that developers, stakeholder, clinicians, and patients need to know.

Reliability has been a challenge in AI adoption, as many patients may not trust an AI device as much as they trust their general practitioner. Additionally, patients and clinicians may have concerns about data privacy ownership. Trust is especially crucial for wider AI adoption in underserved communities. Therefore, building trust between patient’s, clinicians, and AI is essential is important for successful implementation.

Additionally, Hui emphasized the important of collaboration between patients and stakeholders when creating AI solutions to ensure inclusivity and reduce gaps and barriers in AI implementation. Hui noted that developers need to outline a clear agenda on how to implement AI in a way that is both ethical and benefits wider populations. Working together to codevelop these AI solutions will ensure that these digital tools are tailored to meet the needs of all end-users.