This Ada Lovelace Institute report sets out the first-known detailed proposal for the use of Algorithmic Impact Assessments (AIAs). AIAs have the potential to set global standards for the development of responsible technology in the workplace and beyond.
Governments, public bodies and developers of artificial intelligence (AI) systems are becoming interested in algorithmic impact assessments (referred to throughout this report as ‘AIAs’) as a means to create better understanding of and accountability for potential benefits and harms from AI systems. At the same time – as a rapidly growing area of AI research and application – healthcare is recognized as a domain where AI has the potential to bring significant benefits, albeit with wide-ranging implications for people and society.
This report sets out the first-known detailed proposal for the use of an algorithmic impact assessment for data access in a healthcare context – the UK National Health Service (NHS)’s proposed National Medical Imaging Platform (NMIP).
It proposes a process for AIAs, which aims to ensure that algorithmic uses of public-sector data are evaluated and governed to produce benefits for society, governments, public bodies and technology developers, as well as the people represented in the data and affected by the technologies and their outcomes.
This includes actionable steps for the AIA process, alongside more general considerations for the use of AIAs in other public and private-sector contexts.