Media & Updates

TANUH and the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, in collaboration with the ICMR Bioethics Unit, hosted a one-day workshop on the ICMR Ethical Guidelines for AI in Health Research. Researchers, clinicians, policymakers, Ethics Committee members, legal experts and AI developers came together to examine the ethical, legal and regulatory considerations shaping responsible AI in healthcare.

Dr Roli Mathur, Head of the ICMR Bioethics Unit, opened with the ICMR National Ethical Guidelines, emphasising that ethical responsibility spans the full research lifecycle. Dr Denis Xavier, St. John's Medical College and Research Institute, followed up with Good Clinical Practice, covering participant safety, scientific validity and data integrity. Dr Arvind Kukrety, Deputy Drugs Controller at the CDSCO, set out India's regulatory pathway for Software as a Medical Device. Further sessions by Dr Dileep G, Dr Saurav Basu of ICMR-NIRDH, and Ms Shehnaz Ahmed of the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy addressed Institutional Ethics Committees, informed consent, the ethical framework for AI, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act.

The workshop closed with a case study on AI-enabled oral cancer screening, covering consent, data governance, algorithmic bias, and post-deployment monitoring, followed by an open discussion. The discussions highlighted a shared commitment toward advancing AI solutions that are ethical, equitable, and aligned with national healthcare standards.