Hartford Business Journal

22 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | SEPTEMBER 18, 2023 New collaborative aims to make CT an AI healthcare hub By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo msullo@hartfordbusiness.com A new effort is underway to make Connecticut a hub for artificial intelligence in the healthcare industry. The Connecticut Health AI Collaborative is actively recruiting members, including physicians, AI experts, researchers and others interested in the field. Those who participate will use AI to advance health care by devel- oping applications to improve patient care, enhance diagnostics and reduce costs. Scott Lowry, project coordinator with the collaborative, said the idea is to have all major healthcare organiza- tions and universities working together on artificial intelligence, instead of individually. "The theory is that we are better together," Lowry said. "AI represents an enormous opportunity, and the goal is to switch from a reactive to a proactive approach to it." The effort to build the collaborative started earlier this year, and Lowry estimates it will take up to two years to get it fully operating. He noted how Delaware is known for being a popular place for compa- nies to incorporate because of its legal infrastructure and policies. "I think there is an opportunity for Connecticut to become the AI state," Lowry said. He foresees Connecticut pursuing policies and legal infrastructure to make it similarly attractive, but for AI and health care. "There is a vacuum on AI regula- tion and applications," Lowry said. "Connecticut can step up and fill that void." Lowry envisions Connecticut-based universities developing a curriculum around the use of AI in health care, for example, to help recruit workers. Another idea is to create a solu- tions library that's accessible to the healthcare industry statewide. If an algorithm is created to solve a problem that would benefit others in the sector, the library would be a way to share it, Lowry said. State lawmakers held a hearing in June on the collaborative, which attracted politicians and medical professionals. State Sen. Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor), a medical doctor who also co-chairs the legisla- ture's Public Health Committee, said AI has the potential to revolutionize how medical personnel manage and diagnose patients. "We are hoping that we can make Connecticut the hub for health care and artificial intelligence in the United States and beyond," Anwar said. However, the state needs to ensure it has policies in place to make that happen, Anwar said. "We have some of the finest health- care systems and data already here," Anwar said. "We'll be having specific meetings around this to find out from a policy side what needs to be done. I'm working to make sure that we use artificial intelligence intelligently in our state." As of early September, Anwar said those involved in the effort were in the process of setting up meetings with Gov. Ned Lamont to see if he will consider it as a priority. Anwar said he anticipates the effort ultimately will mean more jobs in Connecticut. Currently, the collaborative is the work of a volunteer organizing committee that includes physicians, hospital leaders, technology experts and executives. Once the collabora- tive is formed and names an execu- tive committee, a management team will be selected. For more information, visit www.cthealthai.org. Saud Anwar Scott Lowry Christopher M. Gorman Bankers tread cautiously into an AI-assisted future seen as inevitable By Michael Puffer mpuffer@hartfordbusiness.com A t KeyBank, artificial intelli- gence is sometimes used to relay simple answers on customer service calls, but hasn't yet been harnessed to vet borrowers or write drafts of shareholder reports. KeyCorp Chairman and CEO Christopher M. Gorman said his company is taking a "significant" look at how to incorporate AI, but is moving cautiously, wary of potential biases in the technology and possible regulatory concerns. So far, the $195 billion-asset bank, which has a major Connecticut presence, has only deployed AI in its call centers, Gorman said in a recent interview with the Hartford Business Journal. "I think there will be significant applications for (artificial intelligence) and, ultimately, I think it will be good for workers because it will free them up from doing more rudimentary things, to do more value-added work and spend more time talking to clients and prospects," Gorman said. "But it's very early days for banking, and we're not using it to a significant degree right now." Gorman is not alone in his assessment that AI will eventually be an important tool for the banking industry. But naturally risk-averse bankers in Connecticut and else- where are approaching the emerging technology cautiously. On Naugatuck-based Ion Bank's website, a chatbot named Fiona (Friendly Ion Assistant) can relay simple pre-programmed answers but can't generate unique content on its own. Ion President and CEO David Rotatori said his $2.2 billion-asset bank is unlikely to incorporate true AI — a machine thinking for itself — to a large degree anytime soon. Rotatori said Ion is extremely cautious with its customers' money and personal data and isn't rushing to entrust either to a thinking machine. "To interject things like AI, that are not yet known quantities, we are very risk averse, so we are going to take really small steps if and when we David Rotatori is the CEO and president of Ion Bank. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER AI IN CT

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