CDC: Multidisciplinary Teams Can Guide AI Adoption for Public Health

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office of Public Health Data Surveillance and Technology has recommended employing multidisciplinary teams when applying artificial intelligence to public health data to protect such information from malicious cyber actors.

The CDC office is currently exploring ways to adopt AI capabilities, including large language models, across the agency through a series of 15 pilots aimed at identifying the necessary tools to improve data exchange with other agencies and partners, speed up internal workflows and determine areas at risk of certain diseases, among other use cases.

The DST, however, acknowledged that while AI enables humans to be more efficient, the technology comes with ethical challenges and data privacy risks, Federal News Network reported.

In an episode of The Federal Drive with Tom Temin, Jennifer Layden, director of the DST, said multidisciplinary teams that include experts in public health threats, data tools and advanced analytics will help mitigate such risks by evaluating and identifying AI capabilities that can best meet the agency’s specific needs while considering AI-related concerns.

She also noted that the office is developing guidance for programs and scientists to ensure AI tools are used safely and securely.