Artificial Intelligence & Digital Public Health SIG
SIG Background
Digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) offer profound opportunities to improve health and wellbeing, while also generating new and exacerbating known health harms, and raising challenging ethical and policy questions. All areas of public health practice (health security, health promotion, and healthcare) have the potential to be radically changed.
The AI & Digital Public Health Special Interest Group (SIG) was established in 2024 to develop broad cross-cutting perspectives of the impact, opportunities, and potential harms arising from the use of new digital technologies in society and in public health practice.
Vision and Aims
The SIG will provide Faculty of Public Health leadership for AI and Digital. It will support the advancement of safe, ethical, and responsible digital tools and their application to transform public health and population health systems, to better prevent disease, protect and promote health, and reduce inequalities in health across the UK and internationally.
The AI and Digital Public Health SIG has a dual focus:
- Aim 1: Accelerate the application of trustworthy, responsible, and ethical AI and digital solutions in public health practice.
- Aim 2: Advocate for public health principles (e.g. social justice, equity, collective responsibility) in the advancement and regulation of AI and frontier technologies.
Functions
The SIG will work towards its vision and aims by:
- Acting as an expert resource to the FPH, its members, and the public.
- Convening FPH members championing digital innovation in public health to share best practice, resources, and advice.
- Fostering innovative partnerships and collaborations to bring diverse perspectives, domain expertise, and extend public health influence in digital spaces.
- Develop educational resources for FPH members to keep up to date with new technology for effective public health practice.
How the SIG works
View this page for further details on:
- Aims of the SIG
- How to get involved
- Structure and processes
- Reporting requirements
Contact us
The co-chairs of the SIG are:
- Alisha Davies
- Elliot Roy-Highley
- Joshua Khan
They can be reached at: AIDigitalPH_SIG@fph.org.uk
The AI and Digital Public Health SIG reports to the Health Improvement Committee (HIC).
Join the SIG
FPH members can join this SIG by logging into their FPH members’ portal account, selecting the ‘Committees/SIGs’ button and choosing the correct SIG. You will then be asked to provide a few details, following which your application will be automatically approved. Further details on FPH membership are available here.
Consultation responses
Webinar recordings
Faculty members can visit the FPH Members Portal to watch webinar recordings.
Workplan
View our SIG activities for both workstreams in the drop down boxes below.
Workstream 1: Shaping best practice.
This workstream relates to Aim 1: Accelerate the application of safe, responsible, and ethical AI and digital solutions to public health problems.
Workstream 2: Partnerships & advocacy.
This workstream relates to aim 2: Advocate for public health principles in the advancement and regulation of AI and frontier technologies.
Activity: Shaping practice (policy): FPH Principles for Using AI in Public Health
Outcome: Principles agreed by SIG members and FPH, disseminated to FPH members.
Target date: Q3 2025
Named lead: SIG Co-chairs
Progress to date: To be commenced following Gen AI survey.
Outputs: FPH policy.
Activity: Shaping practice (research): Systematic Review: Reporting of Climate Impacts of AI in Healthcare.
Outcome: Review published in peer-review journal.
Target date: Q4 2025
Named lead: ERH
Progress to date: Team in place & protocol drafted.
Outputs: Peer review publication.
Activity: Shaping practice (events): Public Health Debate Series with Turing Public Health AI SIG
Outcome: Co-host three PHAI debates with The Alan Turing Institute Public Health AI SIG.
Target date: Q1-Q4 2025
Named lead: AD
Progress to date:
- Climate debate held 03/25.
- P4 vs Population AI debate planned 06/25.
Outputs: Quarterly debates (hosted by Turing)
Activity: Shaping practice (events): SIG member meetings developing Public Health AI in Practice.
Outcome:
- May 25: Use of AI in Local Authority
- July 25: Topic tbc
- Nov 25: Topic tbc
- Feb 26: Topic tbc
Target date: Ongoing
Named lead: ERH, SF, AD
Progress to date: Next meetings: May 25, Sept 25, Jan 26
Outputs: Quarterly meetings (hosted by FPH)
Activity: Support digital literacy (research): Understand member needs with FPH Generative AI Survey
Outcome: Survey completed, results disseminated, insights inform CPD guide content and SIG workplan.
Target date: Q2 2025
Named lead: ERH
Progress to date: Survey closed with 205 responses. Analysis ongoing.
Outputs: FPH report +/- peer review publication
Activity: Support digital literacy (resources): CPD Quick Guides / Info Sheets
Outcome: 3 x guides for practical applications of AI in daily PH practice (productivity, performance, prevention).
Target date: Q3 and Q4 2025
Named lead: ERH
Progress to date: To be commenced following Gen AI survey.
Outputs: FPH CPD
Activity: Support digital literacy (policy): FPH curriculum review
Outcome: Input into registrar curriculum review regarding an AI/Digital competency
Target date: 2025
Named lead: SIG Co-chairs
Progress to date: As FPH strategy.
Outputs:
Activity: Collaborate (proactive)
Outcome: Stakeholder mapping and engagement.
Target date: Q2 2025
Named lead: SIG Co-chairs
Progress to date: Informal relationships established with The Alan Turing Institute, Ada Lovelace, The Kings Fund, The Health Foundation.
Outputs:
Activity: Collaborate (reactive)
Outcome: Represent the Faculty at relevant events and meetings.
Target date: Ongoing
Named lead: SIG Co-chairs
Progress to date:
- AoMRC: Use of AI in education. April 2025.
- NIHR AI In Public Health Systematic Reviews – AD & ERH on Strategic Policy Group.
Outputs:
Activity: Advocate for public health principles in digital policy, strategy, and regulation (reactive): Consultation responses
Outcome: Respond to consultations relevant to the use or impacts of AI and digital on the health of the public.
Target date: Ongoing
Named lead: SIG Co-chairs
Progress to date: Social media consultation response submitted 12/24.
Outputs: Consultation responses, ad hoc
Activity: Advocate for public health principles in digital policy, strategy, and regulation (proactive): AI-related harms: misinformation.
Outcome: Formation of a social media & misinformation working group to develop SIG’s misinformation workplan for 2025.
Target date: Q2 2025
Named lead: ERH
Progress to date: Member interest expressed - working group lead to be identified.
Outputs: TBC
