Canadian Privacy Regulators Call for AI Rules in Health Care

The Privacy Commissioner of Canada and other federal, provincial and territorial privacy regulators issued a resolution calling for responsible development, procurement and use of AI in health care and health research. They urged governments to review or adopt laws requiring AI systems to protect privacy, operate reliably and safely, support human rights, provide transparency and maintain accountability.

The regulators also called for legal requirements that make developers, service providers and health care organizations establish governance and accountability frameworks. Governments should consult privacy regulators when creating rules and engage with the public, particularly marginalized and vulnerable communities.

Health research agencies should update national ethics policies with detailed guidance for research involving AI, according to the resolution. The regulators also asked research ethics bodies to strengthen reviewer training and urged researchers to refine their risk and benefit assessments and to be transparent about, and share, the outcomes of their AI research.