The British Veterinary Association has published a set of general principles for the use of artificial intelligence, including guidance for veterinarians on how to use artificial intelligence safely, effectively and ethically.
Advice includes how to:
- Use AI as a tool to support veterinarians rather than replace them.
- Understand how AI technology works and use it with confidence.
- Participate in the design, development, and validation of AI tools for animal health and welfare.
- Understand how AI systems are trained and the situations in which bias may appear.
- Gain confidence in understanding how AI technology is evolving and adapt to potential rapid changes in available tools.
- Ensure data privacy and client consent.
- Oversee the use of AI in clinical practice and be responsible for final decisions.
- You will be able to easily access what data was used and explain how the AI tool reached its conclusions.
The BVA says its position on AI is to encourage a proactive, proactive and open-minded approach to veterinary AI technology, while being aware of the potential ethical risks.
The policy opinion recommendations encourage all veterinary professionals to understand AI and follow the principles outlined above when using AI, and call on all veterinary workplaces to develop AI use policies, conduct thorough risk assessments, and develop resources to help veterinarians understand how AI tools work and how they can be evaluated.
The policy position also calls for the wider sector to develop international governance and explainability standards for veterinary AI tools, proactive regulation of veterinary AI tools used in the UK by the UK Veterinary Regulatory Authority, and for AI technology developers to provide transparent validation data.
Dr Rob Williams MRCVS, President of the British Veterinary Association, said:
“Having a positive and open approach to viewing AI as a tool to support veterans and the wider veterinary team is the best way to ensure professionals can confidently apply these technologies to their daily work.
“The general principles developed in BVA’s new policy position provide a timely and useful framework for all veterinary practices considering the safe and effective use of AI technology.
“Veterinarians also need to be involved as early and often as possible in the AI tool development process to ensure that veterinarians can lead from the front in applying these emerging technologies to ensure we continue to deliver on our top priority of supporting animal health and welfare at the highest level.”
Data from BVA’s Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey shows that 21% of veterinarians working in clinical practice are already using AI tools, with the most commonly reported benefits being improved data interpretation, diagnostic testing, and time savings.
But veterans also point to potential risks, the most common being the possibility of results being interpreted without context or follow-up checks, an overreliance on AI that undermines human skills, and a lack of data protection.
To address this, BVA has developed a risk pyramid that categorizes the risks of more common or considered AI use cases in various veterinary practices from “minimal” to “unacceptable.”
The group also published a series of questions veterans should ask software companies when conducting a risk assessment.
Rob added: “We know that the degree of risk in using AI increases exponentially with the degree of autonomy of the AI tool.
“This risk pyramid is a useful reference for veterinarians looking to implement AI in their practice, allowing tasks lower down the pyramid, such as marketing and administrative tasks, to be approached with greater confidence in safety than tasks closer to the top, such as automated diagnosis and clinical decision-making.
“As use cases move closer to the top, the impact on animal health and welfare, professional standards and people becomes greater, so the importance of following the principles set out in BVA's policy positions becomes even more important.
I encourage all colleagues to consider this risk pyramid alongside the general principles. ”
www.bva.co.uk/artificial-intelligence
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