The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is already encountering implementation issues with its efforts to leverage the potential benefits of AI-based technologies.
NBC News reports that, according to sources within the agency, the FDA’s newly launched AI tool, named Elsa, is already having challenges addressing even simple tasks, such as uploading documents or answering questions from users. Further, the report says that the agency’s AI tool is not yet connected to the Internet, limiting its ability to access newly published studies.
NBC’s sources say that Elsa “still needs significant work” to become operational.
The FDA announced that it would launch Elsa to help agency scientific reviewers and investigators “work more efficiently” by accelerating clinical protocol review and shortening the timeline for the execution of scientific evaluation. (See the FDA’s press release announcing the Elsa launch at https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-launches-agency-wide-ai-tool-optimize-performance-american-people.)
NBC’s report on the FDA’s initial challenges with its AI implementation is available at https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fdas-ai-tool-medical-devices-struggles-simple-tasks-rcna210340.
