Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to transform health care. Innovation projects are underway in Scotland as part of iCAIRD – Industrial Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research in Digital Diagnostics – including an exemplar project in Aberdeen to develop computer assisted technology to detect abnormalities in X-ray or CT scan radiology images assisting in the early diagnosis of breast cancer.

However, there is increasing recognition that AI systems should not be dealt with as a “black box”. For successful translation into clinical practice, trust, transparency and accountability of AI systems are emerging as key components. Clear definition of AI system strengths and weaknesses, accuracy, bias and reliability are important. The optimal methods to explain AI systems for health care remain uncertain but there is growing evidence from other domains.

This PhD offers a mixed methods approach, bringing together a multidisciplinary supervisory team with expertise in computing science, qualitative methodology and health informatics within the Centre for Health Data Science. The PhD also offers the opportunity for an industrial placement with Canon Medical to understand how the methodology being developed in the PhD could be introduced into state of the art AI assisted health digital technologies.

For details of this project with Prof C Black, Dr N Oren, and Prof L Locock at the University of Aberdeen, go to https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/accountability-and-transparency-in-ai-application-to-health-care-diagnostics/?p106836

The deadline for application is 22 March 2019