Abu Dhabi has introduced the AI Clinician Framework, a regulatory initiative designed to guide research into artificial intelligence systems that could eventually perform clinical activities normally requiring a licensed healthcare professional. This was reported by Emirates News Agency (WAM), a partner of TV BRICS.
Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health (DoH), and Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department, presented the framework, outlining the emirate’s approach to developing and evaluating AI-based clinical systems safely and responsibly.
Under the framework, each system will be assessed according to its competence in specific clinical activities. Systems intended to perform a broader range of tasks will need to provide stronger evidence of their capabilities before being considered for authorisation.
Patient safety and medical accountability remain central to the approach. Safeguards will apply at every level of clinical activity, including physician oversight and clear accountability, with referral to a doctor when necessary.
The framework will guide the development of future policies and standards defining which clinical activities AI systems may be authorised to perform, what evidence will be required and how their capabilities will be evaluated.
The initiative forms part of Abu Dhabi’s strategy to advance AI-enabled healthcare innovation. Research will take place within the emirate’s living-lab model, supported by integrated health infrastructure and established pathways for clinical research.