The joint plan for the safe and effective use of AI in the Norwegian health and care services

Abstract Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play an increasing role in the daily work of health officials in the future. It may alleviate workforce shortages by improving efficiency and avoiding drudgery. Still, it is necessary to ensure ethical and responsible use by safeguarding patients’ and workers’ rights, privacy, and safety, preventing algorithmic bias, and ensuring transparency. This presentation will provide insights on Norway's Joint AI Plan by the Norwegian Directorate of Health (NDH) to facilitate the safe introduction of AI in health and care services. The Joint AI Plan was published in February 2025 and sets out the national strategy for the safe, ethical, and effective use of AI. Having such a strategy is vital for all countries to ensure sustainable and high-quality services. The plan promotes sector-wide collaboration through an AI Advisory Board and a series of seminars to ensure that AI implementation addresses the real needs of patients, healthcare professionals, and local communities. It seeks to build shared understanding and responsible governance of AI technologies across all levels of the health and care system. Strengthening regulatory guidance and developing clear frameworks are key priorities to ensure that public health institutions can adopt AI solutions while complying with legal and ethical standards. The plan also prioritizes accessible information to the public about AI use in healthcare. In the plan, NDH stresses the importance of competence-building at all levels to empower everyone to understand and appropriately use AI tools and ensure that the technological benefits of AI do not widen existing social inequalities in health. Having full transparency about the use of AI tools will hopefully help to maintain the public's trust in the Norwegian health system. *Contributions to this publication as conclusions or other content, made by employee(s) of the Norwegian Directorate of Health, have not been processed within the organization.