Explainable AI for Health

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is beginning to transform healthcare, yet successful adoption requires more than accurate algorithms. Trust, transparency, explainability, clinical integration, and stakeholder acceptance are increasingly recognized as essential ingredients for real-world healthcare impact

Supported by a Royal Society Te Apārangi Catalyst Fund grant hosted by Dr. Andrew Lensen (Victoria University of Wellington), Prof. Dr. Peter A.N. Bosman (CWI, the Dutch national research center for mathematics and computer science) and Prof. Dr. Tanja Alderliesten (Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands) will visit Aotearoa to share experiences stemming from their Explainable AI (XAI) in healthcare research. Together, they lead numerous collaborative national and international initiatives from algorithm development to clinical implementation, with application areas including cervical cancer, palliative care, paraganglioma, ductal carcinoma in situ, familial hypercholesterolemia, and decision support for general practitioners.

In this workshop, the Dutch experts will present their scientific advances, practical lessons learned, and the opportunities and challenges encountered in developing XAI solutions in close collaboration with clinicians, healthcare institutions, and technology partners. Their experiences will serve as a starting point for exploring how similar approaches may translate to the needs, priorities, and healthcare context of Aotearoa.

The workshop aims to bring together (AI) researchers, healthcare professionals, hospitals, health organizations, policymakers, and innovation stakeholders to discuss potential use cases for XAI, identify opportunities for healthcare innovation, and explore barriers that may need to be addressed for successful adoption. Participants are encouraged to contribute perspectives and potential use-cases from their own domains, both stemming from AI and medicine, and to help shape a future vision for the role of trustworthy AI in New Zealand healthcare.

Workshop outcomes will inform a broader consultation effort, including a follow-up stakeholder questionnaire later this year. Together, these activities will contribute to the development of a strategic document outlining opportunities for XAI in Aotearoa New Zealand. The initiative furthermore aims to catalyze future national and international funding opportunities, including New Zealand-led projects with Dutch collaboration and larger multinational research programs.

Whether your interest lies in clinical practice, healthcare innovation, (AI) research, policy, or implementation, this workshop offers a unique opportunity to engage directly with internationally recognized leaders in explainable AI and to help shape the future of trustworthy AI for health in Aotearoa.