FDA Commissioner Robert Califf speaks with editorial staff at STAT in Boston, March 6, 2023
Alissa Ambrose/STAT

WELLESLEY, Mass. — Amid heated discussions on how artificial intelligence should be regulated and who should be involved in health care AI governance, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner said that health systems need to take a leading role.

“I think there’s a lot of good reason for health systems to be concerned that if they don’t step up, they’re going to end up holding the bag on liability when these algorithms go wrong,” said Robert Califf on Tuesday to a group of journalists in Wellesley, Mass. 

advertisement

Developers can’t fully guarantee the algorithm’s performance, explained Califf, because an AI model’s performance evolves over time and performs differently in different hospitals’ patient populations, unlike a drug. And that model drift is “happening in health systems. And so for the health system to say, ‘This is just a manufacturer [problem],’ then the whole thing will break down and won’t work,” he said.

STAT+ Exclusive Story

STAT+

This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers

Unlock this article — and get additional analysis of the technologies disrupting health care — by subscribing to STAT+.

Already have an account? Log in

Monthly

$39

Totals $468 per year

$39/month Get Started

Totals $468 per year

Starter

$30

for 3 months, then $399/year

$30 for 3 months Get Started

Then $399/year

Annual

$399

Save 15%

$399/year Get Started

Save 15%

11+ Users

Custom

Savings start at 25%!

Request A Quote Request A Quote

Savings start at 25%!

2-10 Users

$300

Annually per user

$300/year Get Started

$300 Annually per user

View All Plans

To read the rest of this story subscribe to STAT+.

Subscribe