Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly being explored and used to enhance research and care across the healthcare system, including in pediatric oncology. It can be used to analyze patterns in medical imaging, for personalized treatment plans, the discovery of drugs, to make clinical trials more efficient, patient support and monitoring, and beyond.

But generative AI also poses ethical and legal risks when used to support research and clinical care for children with cancer. Generative AI is trained on enormous datasets which increases the risk for potential large-scale data breaches. Additionally, AI technology can also potentially be used to re-identify anonymized patient data which is a direct breach of patient privacy.

Ensuring that patients understand the privacy risks of using generative AI is challenging as AI policy and regulation is still in its early days in Canada.

through this project, we aim to;

• uncover the transformative potential of generative AI in research and care efforts in pediatric oncology
• develop best practices for the implementation of this technology, guided by insights from the communities most affected by its use
• prevent the increase of bias when generative AI technologies are used for clinical decision-making and research, promoting equitable access to the benefits of scientific advances in pediatric oncology

For more information, please contact Jenna Craig.