The Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing has outlined ambitious plans to establish Wales as a trailblazer in the safe and ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI).
Speaking at the Digging Deeper Conference at the International Conference Centre in Newport last week, Sarah Murphy highlighted the impact AI is already having in healthcare in Wales, as it was being used to transform public services and help drive economic growth.
AI-assisted diagnosis is supporting faster identification of a range of conditions including stroke, prostate and breast cancer across the NHS in Wales.
This is the first conference of its kind in Wales, bringing together the public sector with industry leaders, practitioners, and experts in the field, in a bid to ensure the sector explored the safe, ethical, and responsible use of AI in health and social care
Exhibitions showcasing advanced analytics to support clinical decision making, surgical video capture, AI tools to assist in the diagnosis of skin cancer and computer aided evaluation of x-ray and CT scans, also featured at the conference.
Sarah Murphy said: “Wales played a pivotal role in shaping the last industrial revolution, and we are determined to play an equally important role in this one too.
“Our growing tech sector, strong academic institutions, and commitment to a green economy means we are ideally placed.”
Her keynote speech highlighted significant investments in Wales’s AI infrastructure, including data centre development in Newport and the Hartree Centre at Cardiff University, which will support SMEs with AI capabilities.
These developments, alongside working closely with UK Government to deliver the AI Opportunities Action Plan, are expected to create thousands of new jobs across the sector.
The Minister emphasised that AI implementation would follow the ‘Welsh way’ of social partnership, ensuring employees and employers benefit from technological advancement, stressing it would be used equitably and transparently.
“It’s vital to reassure people that AI is not a replacement for their jobs, but rather a tool designed to support and augment their roles,” she added.
“By openly acknowledging concerns and committing to transparent, ethical, and responsible AI deployment, we can build public confidence in these new technologies and most importantly start to make a difference to people’s lives.”
The Minister also emphasised the need for continued collaboration between government, industry partners, and healthcare professionals to ensure AI remains a force for good in Welsh society. The conference was organised in collaboration with the AI Commission for Health and Social Care.
