How AI can revolutionise healthcare shared at Big Data event
30 November 2023
Exciting opportunities for how artificial intelligence (AI) can transform health and social care in Wales were shared at a Big Data webinar today.
Leaders and data professionals from health and care organisations across Wales attended the event, which was delivered by the Advanced Analytics team, an initiative of the National Data Resource Programme at DHCW, in collaboration with Life Sciences Hub Wales.
As well as sharing examples of where AI, machine learning or other innovations have helped solve a problem for healthcare professionals or patients, the challenges and barriers of larger scale adoption of AI were addressed, with a look ahead to opportunities for the future to enable greater use of AI and analytics.
Welsh Government’s Chief Digital and Innovation Officer of NHS Wales, Mike Emery and Gareth Ashman, Artificial Intelligence Policy Lead, discussed the digital and data strategy for health and social care in Wales and set out the priorities over the next 12 months.
Colleagues shared real-life examples of the challenges faced with implementing AI innovations, with Dr. Muhammed Aslam, Consultant Pathologist & Clinical Director at Betsi Cadwallader University Health Board and Rory Clark, a PhD student at Swansea University sharing their learnings about human behaviour and the importance of understanding user-centric adoption.
Daniel Thorne, Senior Product Specialist for the National Data Resource, shared how AI can become an extra pair of hands for data analysts by demonstrating GitHub Copilot, an AI-powered coding assistant that helps developers by suggesting and completing lines of code as they write.
The current work underway in the health and care sector in Scotland in relation to AI was highlighted by James Blackwood, AI Strategy and Portfolio Lead at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Speaking about the day, Chris Habberley, Advanced Analytics Lead for DHCW, said: “This latest Big Data event has enabled colleagues from across Wales to showcase initiatives and successful implementations of AI, as well as considering challenges for implementation in health and social care. The potential for AI is really exciting, and the Advanced Analytics team will continue to support colleagues with their transformational ideas.”
This ‘Big Data’ event is part of a series and follows on from the inaugural conference held at the Principality Stadium in March. Further events are planned for 2024, and if you have any topics you would like to see covered, please contact louise.hall3@wales.nhs.uk or Jennifer.flanagan@wales.nhs.uk