Report sets out 'practical way forward' for the NHS to harness AI

Key proposals include the development of a clear procurement framework for AI systems, to be developed by NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), to make sure that'complex to use and unintuitive products are not purchased as they could hamper service transformation', argue the report's authors, Eleonora Harwick and Kate Laycock. The research addresses the complexities around data in the NHS, including the quality of information or consistency of collection processes, recommending that NHS England and NICE take into account the'user-friendliness of IT systems' during procurement so that errors in data entry are spotted in real-time. "The NHS will also need to get data right to truly harness the potential of AI in healthcare. This means collecting the right type of data in the right format, increasing its quality and securely granting access to it," the authors argue, putting emphasis on addressing the lack of interoperability.