Commission launches flagship initiative to increase use of AI in healthcare

The Commission has launched COMPASS-AI - a new initiative that includes the establishment of a community of experts to advance the safe and effective use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare.

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This is one of the flagship measures in the Commission's recent Apply AI Strategy. The initiative will work to promote the responsible and effective integration of AI into clinical settings.

It will focus, in particular, on two priority areas: cancer care and healthcare in remote areas. Supported by partners with extensive networks across hospitals, professional societies and EU AI-healthcare projects, the initiative will also launch an interactive digital platform to map best practices and facilitate knowledge exchange. The network will deliver AI deployment guidelines and work to raise AI literacy of healthcare professionals, hospital managers and patients.

Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, Olivér Várhelyi, said:

AI has the potential to transform healthcare by advancing precision medicine through enhancing prevention, speeding up clinical trials, improving diagnostic accuracy, optimising treatment decision-making and by streamlining workflows. It can also enable more personalised care, improving health outcomes for Europeans. To fully realise these benefits, we must ensure broader uptake and integration of trustworthy AI solutions across healthcare systems. Building on key European Commission priorities such the European Health Data Space, COMPASS-AI will advance health innovation and promote the adoption of AI in healthcare across Europe. For this purpose, the upcoming Biotech Act at the end of this year, that focuses primarily on health, will be instrumental.

The Apply AI Strategy sets out how to speed up the use of AI in Europe's key industries and the public sector. Healthcare is at the forefront of this transformation and is where citizens will first experience the benefits of trustworthy European AI, improving diagnosis, strengthening personalised prevention, supporting doctors, and accelerating the discovery of new treatments.

Read more about Artificial Intelligence in Health.

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