Coalition for Health AI Mounts Effort Against Cyberattacks

A healthcare nonprofit group focused on responsible artificial intelligence is turning its attention to cybersecurity.

The Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) announced Wednesday (Aug. 12) the formation of its Health AI Cybersecurity Work Group, aimed giving healthcare organizations what it calls “the sector’s first practical, peer-developed guidance on frontier model cyber risk and readiness,” to be published in a series of playbooks set for release at the end of this year.

“Health systems have always faced cybersecurity challenges, but today’s advancements in AI fundamentally change our threat level. With these unprecedented capabilities, it’s key that industry leaders work together to develop a real toolkit for hospitals, health systems and beyond,” said John Flores, chief information systems officer (CISO) for the University of Texas Medical Branch, and a member of the steering group guiding the effort.

“I applaud CHAI for moving quickly to gather this work group – as hospitals of all sizes are seeking resources to combat risks associated with new complex technologies.”

The group says its efforts follow the release of Anthropic’s Mythos-class frontier models this year, arguing that they “introduced a fundamentally changed cybersecurity threat and defense landscape for healthcare.”

That’s because the models’ capabilities shorten attack timelines and “industrialize” protected health information exfiltration and ransomware, while also giving defenders unheard of capabilities for vulnerability management and incident response.

“As AI rapidly transforms our industry, it also brings new speed, scale, and sophistication to cyberthreats. On the ground in a health system – particularly in underserved and lower-resourced communities – it suggests a new playbook is needed,” said Isaiah Nathaniel, CISO for Delaware Valley Community Health and also a steering group member.

“We need to ensure that all parts of healthcare, including systems of all sizes, are equipped to handle the downsides that come along with technological advances. I look forward to working with my fellow health system and industry leaders in developing guidance to keep us and our patients safe.”

PYMNTS wrote last week about the healthcare industry’s adoption of AI, noting that the technology does not behave like a traditional medical device, as performance can evolve along with patient populations, data inputs and software configurations.

“For hospitals, purchasing an AI tool creates an obligation to govern it throughout its life cycle,” that report said.

“Health systems must assess not only whether a product works when acquired, but whether it continues to perform safely across different populations and clinical environments.”