WHO Designates TU Delft's Digital Ethics Centre as Collaborating Centre on AI for Health Governance

On March 6, 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the Digital Ethics Centre at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands as a WHO Collaborating Centre on artificial intelligence (AI) for health governance. This recognition underscores the Centre's leadership in responsible innovation and its commitment to integrating ethical values into digital technology design.

The Digital Ethics Centre at TU Delft has been at the forefront of digital ethics and responsible innovation research for nearly two decades. The Centre specializes in translating ethical values into design requirements for digital technologies, ensuring that innovations align with societal norms and values. This approach, known as "design for values," emphasizes the integration of moral and epistemic values into technological development.

The WHO's designation acknowledges the Centre's extensive research in responsible innovation and its leadership in incorporating ethical values into digital technology design. The collaboration aims to advance research on priority topics related to AI in healthcare, provide expert input for WHO's guidance development and policy-making, serve as a hub for education and advocacy in responsible AI use in healthcare, and facilitate knowledge-sharing and training through regional and country-level workshops.

Dr. Alain Labrique, Director of Digital Health and Innovation at WHO, emphasized the significance of this partnership:

"WHO is committed to helping Member States plan, govern, and adopt responsible AI technologies. We are witnessing remarkable progress, with AI poised to transform health systems and support individuals on their health journeys. To ensure these benefits reach everyone ethically, safely, and equitably, we rely on strong technical and academic partnerships that guide us in this rapidly evolving field."

Professor Jeroen van den Hoven, Scientific Director at the Delft Digital Ethics Centre, highlighted the Centre's role:

"The fruit of two decades of research in digital ethics and responsible innovation, the Delft Digital Ethics Centre is one of the frontrunners in operationalizing ethical values into design requirements for digital technologies such as artificial intelligence. We look forward to contributing to the global health community and advancing the responsible use of AI in health."

A key initiative under this partnership is the Responsible and Ethical AI for Healthcare Lab (REAiHL), a collaboration between TU Delft, Erasmus Medical Centre (Erasmus MC), and software company SAS. REAiHL aims to develop a generalist framework for the safe and ethical application of AI across hospital settings. This initiative underscores the importance of translating ethical frameworks into practical solutions within clinical environments.

The integration of AI into healthcare holds immense potential to enhance patient outcomes, streamline operations, and personalize care. However, challenges such as ethical dilemmas, biases leading to discrimination, and the underutilization of AI innovations persist. Research indicates that only 2% of AI innovations worldwide are effectively implemented in healthcare settings. This collaboration seeks to address these challenges by ensuring that AI technologies are developed and deployed responsibly, aligning with ethical standards and societal values.

While WHO has previously collaborated with various institutions on health governance, this designation marks a significant step in emphasizing the ethical governance of AI in healthcare. The partnership reflects a growing recognition of the need to integrate ethical considerations into technological advancements to ensure equitable and effective healthcare solutions.

This comprehensive partnership underscores the critical role of ethical considerations in the development and implementation of AI technologies in healthcare, aiming to ensure that innovations benefit all individuals equitably and responsibly.