The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched a new artificial intelligence (AI) program, backed by $130 million in funding, that aims to expand the use of AI in the biomedical and research communities.
According to NIH, AI, while already in use in biomedical research and healthcare, has yet to achieve widespread adoption, in part due to challenges applying AI tech to diverse data types. Typical behavioral and biomedical data sets are insufficient lacking important context about the data type, collection conditions or other parameters, and AI needs this information to accurately analyze and interpret data. Without this information, AI may incorporate bias or inequities.
The new program, dubbed the NIH Common Fund’s Bridge to Artificial Intelligence (Bridge2AI), aims to create guidance and standards for the development of AI-ready data sets that can solve health challenges. Some of these goals include uncovering how genetic, behavioral and environmental factors influence physical condition throughout life.
The Bridge2AI program is assembling a team of researchers from diverse disciplines and backgrounds who will generate tools, resources and detailed data responsive to AI approaches, while also ensuring the tools and data are not perpetuating inequalities or ethical problems during data collection or analysis. The program will also extensively collaborate across projects.
“Generating high-quality ethically sourced data sets is crucial for enabling the use of next-generation AI technologies that transform how we do research,” Lawrence A. Tabak, DDS, PhD, performing the duties of the director of NIH, said in a statement. “The solutions to long-standing challenges in human health are at our fingertips, and now is the time to connect researchers and AI technologies to tackle our most difficult research questions and ultimately help improve human health.”
The Bridge2AI program will also create data sets to be shared with the research community for AI analysis. The data types will include voice and other data to identify abnormal changes in the body. AI-ready data will also be prepared to improve clinical decision making in critical care settings “to speed recovery from acute illnesses and to help uncover the complex biological processes underlying an individual’s recovery from illness,” NIH stated.
NIH has issued four awards for data generation projects as well as three awards to create a Bridge Center for integration, dissemination and evaluation activities, the agency said.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."