By now, everyone understands the potential of AI in healthcare, especially in our fight against COVID-19. But because of the nature of the emerging technology, it has also thrown up some major questions that no single tech or healthcare provider can solve on their own. So, Microsoft is bringing together leading public, private, educational and research organizations across the U.S. healthcare and life sciences industries to form the Artificial Intelligence Industry Innovation Coalition (AI3C). The coalition list includes the top names from healthcare and technology, including Brookings Institution, Cleveland Clinic, Duke Health, Intermountain Healthcare, Novant Health, Plug and Play, Providence, UC San Diego, and the University of Virginia. "We at Providence feel that the responsible and equitable implementation of AI will be a critical element of healthcare transformation [to] achieve our vision of Health for a Better World. We applaud Microsoft for bringing this coalition together and are excited to partner with these esteemed institutions to drive progress on how AI can be a force multiplier for good in healthcare," said Brett MacLaren, chief data officer at Providence.

Microsoft has created the Artificial Intelligence Industry Innovation Coalition (AI3C) to drive the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare by providing recommendations, tools and best practices. Member organisations include The Brookings Institution, Cleveland Clinic, Duke Health, Intermountain Healthcare, Novant Health, Plug and Play, Providence, UC San Diego, and University of Virginia. "The goal of the newly created AI3C is to establish a pragmatic coalition with public and private organisations to advance health by identifying and addressing significant societal and industry barriers," said Patty Obermaier, vice president of US health and life sciences at Microsoft. "I am excited about the launch of AI3C and working with its distinguished board as we continue the momentum towards serving the needs of patients and communities through AI innovation." According to Microsoft, the AI3C board will work to "create AI solutions for positive societal and healthcare outcomes, identify and set the AI strategy and vision for a variety of projects, and track the success of AI adoption in the industry". The coalition will use AI to solve economic and industrial challenges, address digital skills and employability and improve data privacy.

Leading U.S. health, educational and research organizations have come together with the creation of a group aimed at accelerating artificial intelligence innovation and adoption in healthcare, Microsoft announced Thursday. The Artificial Intelligence Industry Innovation Coalition (AI3C) will leverage the collective brainpower, experience and expertise of the Brookings Institution, Cleveland Clinic, Duke Health, Intermountain Healthcare, Microsoft, Novant Health, Plug and Play, Providence, UC San Diego, and University of Virginia. From diagnosing and treating disease to addressing disparities in care, overcoming social barriers, speeding research and reducing physician burnout, artificial intelligence has the power to overhaul healthcare, according to leaders of the new coalition. To get there, AI3C is honing in on some core goals. Those include showcasing new AI innovations, gathering industry-specific information on how AI is used, developing best practices for responsible AI implementation and preparing students for careers in AI and data science. "Meeting the urgent need for new health technologies requires diverse partners coming together across sectors," Ashley Llorens, vice president and managing director for Microsoft Research and Incubations, said in a news release announcing the coalition.