TLDR: The University of Wollongong (UOW) is leading a $2.25 million national project to address the ethical challenges of artificial intelligence (AI) in health research. Funded by the NHMRC and partner contributions, the initiative aims to develop practical resources for ethics committees and governance bodies to ensure responsible AI development and application in healthcare.
The University of Wollongong (UOW) has been awarded a significant National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Partnership Projects scheme grant, enabling it to lead a $2.25 million national initiative focused on the ethical oversight of artificial intelligence (AI) in health research. This substantial investment, comprising $1.05 million from the NHMRC and $1.2 million in partner contributions, underscores the urgent need to navigate the rapidly evolving ethical landscape of AI technologies in healthcare.
Professor Stacy Carter, Director of UOW’s Australian Centre for Health Engagement, Evidence and Values, will spearhead this critical project. Professor Carter highlighted the extraordinary pace and volume of AI research, which is continuously generating new ethical questions and challenges. The project directly responds to a call from the NHMRC and the broader research community for practical, evidence-based resources to assist ethics committees, governance units, and data access committees in making informed and responsible decisions regarding health research that develops or applies AI technologies.
The initiative will commence with an international scoping review to pinpoint areas where resources and support are most critically needed. Following this, the team will engage extensively with stakeholders and the public to explore contested issues and ethical trade-offs inherent in AI health research. The insights gathered from this research will inform the development and testing of practical resources designed to be robust, transparent, and aligned with community values.
Professor Carter emphasized the collaborative nature of the project, stating, ‘By working closely with our partners and the public, we aim to co-design and test resources that complement existing frameworks, not replace them.’ The project is set to culminate in the integration, dissemination, and evaluation of these resources through partner organizations, with the goal of establishing a new benchmark for the ethical governance of AI-related research, both within Australia and internationally.
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An interdisciplinary research team, comprising experts in AI ethics, safety, governance, and research, will drive this initiative. Key members include Professor Carter and Senior Professor Annette Braunack-Mayer from UOW, Dr. Lisa Eckstein from the University of Tasmania, Professor Farah Magrabi from Macquarie University, and Dr. Yagiz Alp Aksoy from the University of Sydney and NSW Health.
