Attendees at this year's World Bio Summit like Minister of Health and Welfare Jeong Eun Kyeong and World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Oct. 21 take a group photo to mark the Seoul Declaration on AI in Healthcare at the convention center Coex Magok in Seoul's Gangseo-gu District. (Ministry of Health and Welfare)
By Yoo Yeon Gyeong
A joint declaration with the World Health Organization (WHO) has pledged stronger global cooperation to ensure that the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare are shared equitably around the world.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare on Oct. 21 announced the Seoul Declaration on AI in Healthcare for Responsible Innovation and Global Solidarity with WHO at this year's World Bio Summit (www.worldbiosummit.kr), which ran from Oct. 21-22 at the convention center Coex Magok in Seoul's Gangseo-gu District.
Presented by Minister of Health and Welfare Jeong Eun Kyeong and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the declaration stresses the safe and responsible use of AI in medicine and international solidarity.
This is the first time for the ministry and the WHO chief to jointly issue a declaration on the use of AI. The document contains principles for using AI to prioritize human safety and dignity and reduce gaps in access to healthcare across countries and socioeconomic groups.
To these ends, both sides pledged to expand joint research on medical AI, research and development, and investment in infrastructure and boost the basis for data use. They will also prioritize healthcare needs that medical services cannot meet and launch an oversight framework tailored to the intended uses and risk levels of AI applications.
Areas of cooperation range from the early detection of public health crises using AI to stronger cybersecurity and biosecurity. The two sides also urged greater collaboration among governments, medical professionals, AI developers and civil society while respecting each country's domestic laws and circumstances in implementing the declaration's provisions.
Under the theme "Expanding Biohealth Innovation Through AI," the summit held discussions of AI-driven drug and clinical development, innovation in hospital operations, regulatory approval of AI medical devices, and international joint financing and public-private partnerships to support these efforts.
The summit is a global healthcare event jointly hosted by Seoul and WHO annually since 2022. This year's edition marked Director-General Tedros' first visit to Korea since taking office and the first by a WHO chief since 2015.
During the summit, Minister Jeong held bilateral meetings with her counterparts from Turkiye (Turkey), Armenia, Tunisia and Qatar on cooperation in sectors like health insurance, medical AI, access for Korean pharmaceuticals in overseas markets, patient referrals and medical training.
dusrud21@korea.kr
