AI, Explainability, and Safeguarding Patient Safety in Europe
Barry Solaiman, Mark G. Bloom
Abstract
This chapter explores the efforts made by regulators in Europe to develop standards concerning the explainability of artificial intelligence (AI) systems used in wearables. Diagnostic health devices such as fitness trackers, smart health watches, ECG and blood pressure monitors, and other biosensors are becoming more user-friendly, computationally powerful, and integrated into society. They are used to track the spread of infectious diseases, monitor health remotely, and predict the onset of illness before symptoms arise. At their foundation are complex neural networks making predictions from a plethora of data. While their use has been growing, the COVID-19 pandemic will likely accelerate that rise as governments grapple with monitoring and containing the spread of infectious diseases. One key challenge for scientists and regulators is to ensure that predictions are understood and explainable to legislators, policymakers, doctors, and patients to ensure informed decision making.