On 28 November, Alzheimer Europe‘s European Dementia Carers Working Group (EDCWG), which serves as the Pattern-Cog project Advisory Board (Pattern-Cog AB), gathered online. The meeting was organised by Alzheimer Europe (AE), and facilitated by AE Public Involvement Officers Soraya Moradi-Bachiller and Daphné Lamirel and Public Involvement Lead Ana Diaz. This meeting aimed at gathering feedback from the members about the 33rd Alzheimer Europe Conference (33AEC) and discussing concerns and worries that people may have about the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in dementia research projects.
Ana started the meeting by thanking all members of the EDCWG for their great participation at 33AEC and their involvement in several activities and consultations organised by AE. Soraya then followed by giving an overview of the use of AI by the dementia research projects in which AE is involved. Soraya explained that, in some projects, AI is used to develop tools to predict someone’s risk of developing cognitive problems or progressing to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia, whereas in others, AI can help mimic and simulate some parts of the brain to understand better how it works. The members of the Pattern-Cog AB were then asked to provide their views on concerns and worries raised by other Public Involvement advisory boards, mostly linked to the use of AI, e.g.: bias, discrimination, accountability, fear of AI replacing the doctor, data sharing and explainability. They were then asked what uses of AI in dementia research would concern and worry them most.
The discussion was lively and all the members of the Pattern-Cog AB gave insightful and important contributions to the consultation.
