Chatbots RESET: A Framework for Governing Responsible Use of Conversational AI in Healthcare
When a new technology is introduced in healthcare, especially one based on AI, it invites meticulous scrutiny. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of chatbots in healthcare applications and as a result, careful consideration is required to promote their responsible use. To address these governance challenges, the World Economic Forum has assembled a multistakeholder community, which has co-created Chatbots RESET, a framework for governing the responsible use of chatbots in healthcare.
Chatbots, or conversational artificial intelligence (AI) systems, are used increasingly by organizations to communicate with customers in a natural and easy-to-use way by embedding chatbots in websites, social network apps, smart home devices, etc. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of chatbots in healthcare applications. As examples, both the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control deployed chatbots for coronavirus information dissemination and symptom checking. So, too, did many governments and healthcare providers. Beyond the pandemic, the rate of adoption of chatbots in healthcare applications is likely to be sustained due to the access and cost benefits they enable.
The World Economic Forum assembled a multistakeholder community, which has co-created Chatbots RESET, a framework for governing the responsible use of chatbots in healthcare.
When a new technology is introduced in healthcare, especially one based on AI, it invites meticulous scrutiny and chatbots are no exception. The exchange of sensitive health information with chatbots is one of many governance challenges that require careful consideration in order to promote responsible use of chatbots in healthcare. Other challenges include performance assurance, patient considerations, legality, privacy and security, in addition to classic AI challenges such as fairness and explainability. To address these governance challenges, earlier this year the World Economic Forum assembled a multistakeholder community, which has co-created Chatbots RESET, a framework for governing the responsible use of chatbots in healthcare.
The Chatbots RESET framework consists of two parts:
(1) A set of 10 principles carefully selected from AI ethics and healthcare ethics principles and interpreted within the context of the use of chatbots in healthcare; and
(2) Operationalization actions for each principle in the form of recommendations to implement in various stages of deployment of chatbots in healthcare. The framework is an actionable guide for three groups of stakeholders to promote the responsible use of chatbots in healthcare applications: technology developers, healthcare providers and government regulators.
In the Chatbots RESET framework, chatbot developers will find actions they can incorporate within their project development process to create more responsible implementations of chatbots; healthcare providers can integrate actions from the framework within their workflows to promote responsible deployment; and regulators can choose actions that resonate with their national strategy to ensure responsible scale-up of chatbot technology.