As generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) becomes more prevalent in health care, UC Davis Health along with the rest of the University of California health systems is now leading a member-led collective of health systems, health plans, nonprofit associations, and technology and research partners across the U.S. and internationally.

The group of more than 30 founding partners was announced at the launch of VALID AI at the Future & Health Summit at HLTH last fall. VALID AI — short for Vision, Alignment, Learning, Implementation, and Dissemination of Validated Generative AI in Healthcare — is a collaborative that will explore uses, pitfalls, and best practices for Gen AI in health care and research, and accelerate execution and real-world evidence.

Gen AI is a watershed moment in health care, but fewer than 1 in 10 health care organizations have concrete plans in place for execution, coalition leaders noted. VALID AI hopes to help bridge this gap.

“By embracing open innovation and radical collaboration, health care organizations of all sizes can lead the charge in creating value from Gen AI in a responsible manner,” said Ashish Atreja, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P., A.G.A.F., UC Davis Health’s chief information and digital health officer, and VALID AI’s founding chair. “We now have an opportunity to co-create the science of Gen AI with our diverse partners in a way that could fundamentally change how care and research will be delivered in the future.”

By bringing together diverse perspectives, expertise, and insights, VALID AI is intended to push the boundaries of implementing AI technology and ensure the responsible and ethical development of Gen AI, ultimately shaping a more equitable future for all.

“Gen AI holds tremendous promise for health care but requires guardrails to ensure safety and efficacy,” said Dennis Chornenky, M.B.A., M.P.H., chief AI advisor at UC Davis Health and CEO of consulting and technology firm Domelabs AI, who serves as VALID AI’s executive director. “VALID AI will accelerate adoption through coordinated validation of use-cases and alignment around best practices for AI governance and AI-enabled innovation.”

Five core values

The VALID AI program revolves around a collective of five core values and work areas, focused on bringing the power of generative AI to health care organizations and patients:

  • Vision: Create a cohesive strategy and shared vision to guide generative AI research in health care, aligning relevant parties, facilitating learning, promoting equitable access to generative AI resources, and accelerating implementation across member organizations.
  • Alignment: Help member organizations and partners align with common standards as they evolve and apply them internally with best-suited organizational frameworks and safe and equitable governance practices.
  • Learning: Aggregate leading-edge research on use-cases, implementation science, policy work, and industry standards from the U.S. and around the world, and share it with member organizations and key partners through virtual learning sessions, executive briefings, in-person summits, an online portal, and an online forum for sharing ideas.
  • Implementation: Establish a collaborative AI sandbox to support member organizations with integration, validation, and implementation of generative AI use-cases. The sandbox program will bring together startups, researchers, and leaders focusing on generative AI in health care with members receiving support and favorable terms for collaboration.
  • Dissemination: Share knowledge and science generated through collective efforts on a global scale through co-publishing white papers, journal articles, and op-eds to advance innovation and enrich the scientific and business communities. An in-person summit will bring CEOs, executives, and leading practitioners together to discuss advancements and share insights.

“UC experts across its health system are excited to be a catalyst and collaborative force to bring leading academic health centers and industries together for a shared purpose,” said Van Williams, M.B.A., the UC’s vice president and chief information officer. “Taking this step forward in developing the frameworks that will guide groundbreaking and ethical uses of Gen AI is critical.”

To learn more about the initiative and express interest in collaborating, visit VALIDAI.Health.