Minister sets out vision for ethical use of AI in health and care in Wales
The Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing has outlined ambitious plans to establish Wales as a trailblazer in the safe and ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI).
Speaking at the Digging Deeper Conference at the International Conference Centre in Newport this week, Sarah Murphy highlighted the impact AI is already having in healthcare in Wales, as it was being used to transform public services and help drive economic growth.
AI-assisted diagnosis is supporting faster identification of a range of conditions including stroke, prostate and breast cancer across the NHS in Wales.
First in Wales
This is the first conference of its kind in Wales, bringing together the public sector with industry leaders, practitioners, and experts in the field, in a bid to ensure the sector explored the safe, ethical, and responsible use of AI in health and social care
Exhibitions showcasing advanced analytics to support clinical decision making, surgical video capture, AI tools to assist in the diagnosis of skin cancer and computer aided evaluation of x-ray and CT scans, also featured at the conference.
Sarah Murphy said: “Wales played a pivotal role in shaping the last industrial revolution, and we are determined to play an equally important role in this one too.
“Our growing tech sector, strong academic institutions, and commitment to a green economy means we are ideally placed.”
Her keynote speech highlighted significant investments in Wales’s AI infrastructure, including data centre development in Newport and the Hartree Centre at Cardiff University, which will support SMEs with AI capabilities.
These developments, alongside working closely with UK Government to deliver the AI Opportunities Action Plan, are expected to create thousands of new jobs across the sector.
The ‘Welsh way’
The Minister emphasised that AI implementation would follow the ‘Welsh way’ of social partnership, ensuring employees and employers benefit from technological advancement, stressing it would be used equitably and transparently.
“It’s vital to reassure people that AI is not a replacement for their jobs, but rather a tool designed to support and augment their roles,” she added.
“By openly acknowledging concerns and committing to transparent, ethical, and responsible AI deployment, we can build public confidence in these new technologies and most importantly start to make a difference to people’s lives.”
The Minister also emphasised the need for continued collaboration between government, industry partners, and healthcare professionals to ensure AI remains a force for good in Welsh society. The conference was organised in collaboration with the AI Commission for Health and Social Care.
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
Define that role, did the land not just give up its riches to the Oligarchs of the time…
Before AI there is so much to resolve related to Welsh transport decision making that impact NHS performance: 1. Trains: * CAF trains are not accessible for wheelchair users. Is this now in the specification that for new Transport for Wales (TfW) trains a wheelchair user can get on a train and move throughout a train unassisted? Canada has had this for decades and if CAF cannot provide then TfW should have a meeting with Via Rail Canada to share lessons learnt and then consider adding Via Rails supplier to a tender list, then TfW should tender and specify add… Read more »
Excellent thinking, Andrew. I am appalled to learn about poor access for people in wheelchairs on to NEW TfW trains – I had not known.
I was directly involved in efforts at London Underground to improve travel conditions for disabled travellers and I’m shocked that TfW has not learnt from the benchmarks that the Jubilee Line and Canadian operators have set.
Access for All must be the standard for any publicly-funded facilities. The Senedd should insist on it, and not be beguiled by ‘technical’ argument.
While these projects are good news, creating roles for small companies is also a key driver of economic growth. Lots of small companies complain in writing that procurement processes are too long and some Key Performance Indicators may not be appropriate. For example, Cardiff Council has the following KPI : Support and investment provided for people to learn and use Welsh (e.g. interactions and signage) I fully support encouraging the use of the Welsh language. But if this is in every Cardiff Council contract then lots of suppliers will duplicate training resources and this won’ spread learning the Welsh language… Read more »