Mercy Health joins global tech leaders in Rome Call for AI Ethics

Mercy Health has joined global tech leaders and public and private institutions worldwide to endorse the Vatican’s ethical approach to artificial intelligence (AI) as the first Australian health and aged care provider in the Rome Call for AI Ethics.

First signed in early 2020 by representatives from the Pontifical Academy for Life, Microsoft, IBM, the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization and the Italian Minister of Innovation, the Call promotes a shared responsibility to request and develop AI that serves every person and the global community.

Sponsors of the Call aim to work together to promote ‘algor-ethics’ – the creation and use of AI that is transparent, accountable, impartial, reliable, secure and private, and inclusive.

This is particularly important within the healthcare sector, where AI integration is accelerating. Research by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions and recent surveys shows that 75 per cent of leading healthcare providers are already experimenting with data and AI solutions.

By joining the Rome Call, Mercy Health is now the first Australian health and aged care provider publicly committed to ensuring any explorations are conducted according to these principles, alongside Australia’s regulatory guardrails.

Mercy Health’s Chief Information Officer Paul Jurman says healthcare providers must balance the potential of artificial intelligence with this need for regulation and responsible use.

“AI is already being used in healthcare to create operational efficiencies, provide research and diagnostic support, and to enhance patient and customer interactions,” he said.

“Demand for innovation will only increase, and it is our responsibility to make sure we do this ethically, in a way that benefits every one of our patients, clients, staff and community members equally.”

Mercy Health is a CHA Member