Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly being explored and used to enhance research and care across the healthcare system, including in pediatric oncology. AI has the potential to support a wide range of applications, includingthe analysis of patterns in medical imaging, personalized treatment plannings, the discovery of drugs, clinical trials optimization, patient support and monitoring, and beyond.

However, generative AI also poses a broad range of ethical, legal, clinical and societal challenges when used to support research and clinical care for children with cancer. These include risks to data privacy and security as generative AI models are trained on enormous datasets and could potentially be used to re-identify anonymized patient data, as well as concerns around algorithmic bias, the accuracy and reliability of AI-generated outputs, transparency and accountability in clinical decision-making, and the potential erosion of trust between patients, families and the healthcare system. Ensuring that patients and families are able to understand and navigate these risks is particularly challenging, in particular because AI policy and regulation in Canada are still in their early stages.

Through this project, we aim to:

• Uncover the transformative potential of generative AI to advance research and care in pediatric oncology
• Develop best practices for the responsible implementation of this technology, informed by the perspectives of the communities most affected by its use
• Mitigate the ethical, legal, clinical and societal risks associated with the use of generative AI in pediatric oncology, and promote equitable access to the benefits of scientific advancement in this field

Where we are:

• Completed our data collection and project’s main activities, including a review of the literature, a comparative analysis of AI governance across jurisdictions, and focus groups with key stakeholders
• Finalizing our analysis and translating these findings into our two key forthcoming outputs: a guidance document and an information guide for patients, families and clinicians

For more information, please contact Renu Jeyapala.