The industry playbook to combat public health, and FUTURE-AI
Feb 12, 2025
auto_awesome
Joining the conversation are May van Schalkwyk, a researcher at Edinburgh University specializing in industry influence on public health, and Karim Lekadir, a nuclear research professor at the University of Barcelona focusing on AI in healthcare. They delve into the tactics used by fast-food giants like McDonald's to thwart health regulations near schools, drawing unsettling parallels to the tobacco industry. They also discuss new guidelines for trustworthy AI applications in healthcare, stressing the importance of ethical practices and stakeholder collaboration in enhancing patient care.
McDonald's undermines public health efforts by opening outlets near schools, mirroring techniques once used by the tobacco industry to protect their interests.
The new AI framework establishes six principles to ensure trustworthy healthcare applications, addressing regulatory gaps and prioritizing patient safety.
Deep dives
McDonald's Influence on Local Health Regulations
McDonald's actively undermines local councils' efforts to create healthier environments by successfully overturning planning decisions that prevent new outlets from opening near schools. This has been particularly troubling in deprived areas where childhood obesity rates are alarmingly high. The company's arguments focus on promoting healthier menu options, such as salads, and its sponsorship of local sports teams to project a positive image regarding public health. However, these assertions seem to contradict evidence indicating that the proximity of fast food outlets contributes to increased consumption and worsens health outcomes for children.
Tactics Learned from Tobacco Industry
The discussion highlights the parallels between fast food corporations like McDonald's and the tactics historically employed by the tobacco industry to protect their interests. These strategies include influencing research agendas and public perception while portraying harmful practices as beneficial or harmless. The conversation points out the industry's efforts to frame itself as part of the solution to health issues while simultaneously working against regulatory measures that could mitigate those harms. This ongoing trend emphasizes the need for critical analysis of how such industries operate and the impact they have on public health.
Challenges of Regulating the Gambling Industry
The conversation transitions to examining the gambling industry, drawing parallels with the practices seen in both the tobacco and fast food sectors. The researchers stress the importance of recognizing gambling as a public health concern, necessitating a regulatory framework that addresses industry manipulations. The gambling industry's historical deregulation contrasts with increasing regulation in the tobacco sector, highlighting an inconsistency in public health approaches. The need for a comprehensive strategy to tackle the intersection of gambling, public health, and industry influence is crucial for effective regulation.
Ensuring Trustworthy AI in Healthcare
A new framework for evaluating artificial intelligence in healthcare emphasizes the need for a holistic approach in its development and validation. It proposes six guiding principles: fairness, universality, traceability, usability, robustness, and explainability, aiming to ensure that AI tools are trustworthy and effective. The framework aims to fill the regulatory gap in AI applications, providing actionable guidelines for developers and stakeholders involved in healthcare. By establishing these principles, the goal is to create AI systems that enhance healthcare while prioritizing patient safety and quality assurance.
This week Rebecca Coombes is back with another big-food investigation, this time about fast-food giant MacDonalds subverting attempts to stop it opening stores near schools.
Sticking with industry behaving badly, May van Schalkwyk, from the University of Edinburgh, wonders why we haven't learn lessons from the attempts to control big tobacco companies, when it comes to other industries that harm health.
And finally, AI in healthcare - Karim Lekadir, from the University of Barcelona, explains new guidelines which can help evaluate which AI applications are trustworthy.