Hospitals and health systems are under pressure to make sure their AI tools are safe and fair for everyone. Yet, while patients are the very people these tools are supposed to help, they are largely left out of the conversation as AI oversight is typically handled by doctors, data scientists, and ethicists.

However, experience from Stanford Health Care suggests this doesn't have to be the case. Even though AI governance can get highly technical, patients can meaningfully participate—and their involvement makes the process better.

In this BMJ Digital Health and AI editorial, SHP’s Michelle Mello, JD, PhD, shares details of the Stanford program that helps conduct ethical assessments of AI tools, which was developed with Professors Danton Char, MD, and Nigam Shah, PhD, from the Stanford University School of Medicine. The team recruited 14 patients into the long-term learning community called the Patient Partner Panel (PPP) which helps conduct ethical assessments of AI tools. Members receive AI fundamentals training and ongoing remote learning opportunities.

In monthly focus groups, members discuss AI ethics using simple tool explanations and patient value questions. Ethicists analyze transcripts and synthesize insights from clinicians and AI developers to create recommendations for health system leaders.

“A year in, our experience is that patients provide valuable, actionable insights about responsible AI use—without compromising the timeliness of assessments,” writes Mello, a professor of health policy. “Individuals with extensive care experience in our hospital can point out problems in clinical workflows in which AI is being deployed.”

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In addition to SHC, the research was funded by Stanford Impact Labs and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). The views in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of PCORI®.