The time has come to make difficult decisions about…

For over 20 years, we’ve known that the healthcare system of the future would be under severe pressure from a growing disease burden and fewer available resources. Now, the urgency to find solutions is real – and AI is increasingly seen as a key tool. But we are far from ready to deal with the dilemmas and ethical challenges that come with it – because mistakes will happen along the way.

To relieve pressure on the Danish healthcare system, we must, in the coming years, optimise known workflows, free up resources, and focus far more on prevention than we have before. Data collection and analysis will play a central role here – particularly with the help of AI.

Several studies suggest that, in certain areas, AI can already diagnose more accurately and with fewer errors than human doctors. Moreover, many experts believe that a significant portion of the illnesses for which we currently go to GPs could be handled by well-designed AI solutions.

We are, therefore, looking at a technology that can create truly revolutionary opportunities at a time when we desperately need them. The pressure on our healthcare sector is growing rapidly, and we must act fast to implement the right solutions.

Of course, this does not mean we should blindly roll out AI across the healthcare system. But we are now being forced to assess how AI and other emerging technologies can help us avoid major service deterioration – and that assessment must happen far faster than we’re used to.

We must address the ethics head-on

A sensible first step would be to develop a clear national strategy for where, how and why we want to use AI in healthcare. Letting the technology lead this transformation unchecked would be deeply irresponsible.

As part of that strategy, we must – at a political level – engage far more seriously with the ethical dimensions of AI in healthcare. Because what happens the day an AI system misdiagnoses a patient and someone dies? That will undoubtedly receive massive media coverage – it does when human doctors make mistakes too, but the potential political scandal is much greater here.

How will clinicians, hospital directors, policymakers and the health minister respond the first time a health-related AI failure leads to a fatality? This is new territory – and we simply need to prepare ourselves before it happens.

Unity is strength

Now is the time to agree on why and how we want to reshape our healthcare system. And we must be brutally realistic about the possibilities and risks of AI. It’s no good turning on each other and pointing fingers when the first AI-related incident hits the headlines.

Dear healthcare professionals, policymakers and media: start the debate about AI in healthcare now. Put the technology in perspective – both ethically and socially. The Danish people deserve a better understanding of the direction we’re taking – and why. If we have the courage and will to have the arguments with one another now, we’ll be far better prepared for the journey ahead.

This article was first published in Altinget.