Chinese political adviser says medical AI needs tighter safe

by Xiong Weisheng

Wang Jian'an, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee and president of the Second Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine in interview with China Economic Net (CEN) on the sidelines of China's annual "Two Sessions" meetings. [CEN/ Guo Wenpei]

BEIJING, Mar 7 — China needs stronger oversight, better data transparency and more specialised talent as artificial intelligence (AI) moves further into healthcare, national political adviser Wang Jian'an said, while adding that international cooperation, including with the United States, remains important in medical AI.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of China's annual Two Sessions meetings, Wang, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee and president of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, said his proposals this year focus on two areas: advancing brain-computer interface technology from research into hospital use, and addressing the ethical and safety risks of AI in healthcare.

Asked about the biggest bottlenecks facing medical AI in clinical use, he said one concern was the quality and safety of data, and that other problems include limited model transparency and weak post-deployment oversight.

On international cooperation, he said China and the United States are both competitors and partners in medical AI, but added that cooperation could outweigh competition.

He said different countries had different strengths. Some Western countries have advantages in chips and materials, while China has moved faster in some open-source areas and has strengths in disease diversity and clinical application scenarios.

In areas such as disease screening, imaging assistance and chronic disease management, he said international collaboration could help combine knowledge, population data and biological information from different groups, giving researchers a fuller basis to answer scientific questions.

Asked about China's advantages over international peers, he cited policy support, broader public uptake of AI, growing experience in clinical applications and stronger integration between medicine and engineering. He also said China's large patient volumes and broad range of disease cases provide hospitals with extensive clinical data to support research and development.

He said the growing use of Chinese medical AI solutions in developing countries reflects China's technological progress, adding that such collaboration gives developing countries access to advances they would otherwise struggle to afford.