Artificial Intelligence is transforming medicine: Responsibility and collaboration are key

Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly significant role in medical research and health technologies. Professor Simo Särkkä from Aalto University, a board member of the Instrumentarium Science Foundation, emphasizes the opportunities AI offers but also highlights the importance of responsible data use and ethical considerations.
Professor Simo Särkkä works at Aalto University's School of Electrical Engineering and is a member of the executive team of the Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence (FCAI). His research group develops machine learning and signal analysis methods, particularly for the needs of medicine and health technology.
Särkkä was invited to join the board of the Instrumentarium Science Foundation in 2020, a time when AI was not yet as widely discussed in the public domain as it is now. He brings his technical expertise in engineering sciences and his extensive knowledge of AI and computational methods to the board. Särkkä sees his role on the board as that of an expert contributing to high-level decision-making in directing research funding.
Särkkä notes that AI's role in medical research and health technologies has grown significantly in recent years.
− Advanced methods, such as image recognition and automated diagnostics, are now widely available to clinical researchers. It is encouraging that AI tools are becoming increasingly accessible, and their technical foundation has been strengthened.
Examples in medicine include the analysis of brain images and the automation of other medical imaging results.
While the opportunities brought by AI are substantial, Särkkä also highlights challenges and stresses the quality of the data being used.
− Just as before AI-based modeling and predictions, it is essential to ensure that the data used is error-free and ethically acceptable. Predictions must not be based on fundamentally unreasonable data. AI, as a tool, will make predictions and provide answers, but if all perspectives haven’t been considered, the results won’t be reliable. Therefore, all ethical aspects must be taken into account, just as before. On the other hand, when research is conducted correctly, these considerations are automatically addressed.
Collaboration as the Foundation for Broad Utilization of AI
Collaboration between academia, industry, and policymakers is central to the responsible application of AI, according to Särkkä.
− The role of academia, such as universities and higher education institutions, is to train experts, ensure competence, and maintain knowledge that companies and industries can utilize.
Policymakers, both domestically and at the EU level, must create frameworks and effective regulations.
− I’m pleased with Finland’s investments in AI, such as the doctoral training pilot program and the state’s funding for AI. The Ministry of Education and Culture is supporting a joint project by Finnish universities to establish a national ELLIS Institute with a €40 million investment for 2025–2028. Additionally, the Foundation PS, led by Peter Sarlin, CEO of Silo AI, is donating €10 million for professorships at the ELLIS Institute. Finland’s ELLIS Institute will be a significant research hub within the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems network, representing top-tier European AI and machine learning research, Särkkä points out.
Professor Särkkä is optimistic about AI’s potential in developing personalized medicine. He envisions a future where diagnostics and treatment planning become increasingly automated, but he reminds us that the use of AI still requires meticulous care and professional expertise.
The Instrumentarium Science Foundation’s role in supporting research is essential, according to Särkkä.
− The foundation’s contribution is a significant part of the whole that enables the development of AI and other new technologies in medical research. I look forward to evaluating the research grant applications submitted in 2025 and seeing how AI is integrated into the proposed research projects or doctoral dissertations,” he concludes.
Text: Tia Härkönen
Photo: Aalto University