2023-11-16 16:05:53
Private projects for artificial intelligence in health would obtain more public funding, but would not address current problems in the field, according to a study by the Institute for Socioeconomic Research and Information (IRIS).
Researcher Myriam Lavoie-Moore analyzed 312 AI projects that received public funding. Of this total, “only a handful of companies” have benefited from these grants since 2018 and the majority are private, for-profit research projects.
Private companies would also receive nearly $1.97 million from Quebec, compared to $70,000 on average for each public project.
The author of the study notably took the example of the MEDTEQ consortium, which manages a large part of the funds intended for AI. Although it would have received more than $63 million from the state, only $8.68 million in funding was made public.
“This opacity raises questions in a context where four of the most funded companies in AI are represented on the MEDTEQ board of directors. We constantly talk regarding ethical issues in AI. However, there are significant blind spots when it comes to financing,” underlined Ms. Lavoie-Moore.
No improvement
According to her, the problem would above all be that the technologies developed by the private sector do not help the health network.
“Access to information requests reveal that the automation of medical imaging analysis, one of the flagship technologies of the AI industry, does not improve access to consultations or post-diagnosis treatment,” it was explained.
For Ms. Lavoie-Moore, Quebec should better control health innovation budgets and let personnel in the field participate in the choice and development of the technologies implemented.
“We must completely review by whom and for whom these technologies are created,” insisted the researcher.
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