As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms healthcare delivery across Canada, British Columbia’s privacy commissioner has issued a stark warning about potential risks to patient data. The caution comes amid an unprecedented boom in healthcare AI applications that promise everything from administrative efficiency to enhanced clinical decision-making.
“Healthcare providers must recognize that AI tools fundamentally change how personal health information is collected, used, and disclosed,” said Michael McEvoy, British Columbia’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, in a comprehensive advisory released yesterday. “The regulatory framework hasn’t kept pace with technological advancement, creating significant privacy vulnerabilities.”
The advisory arrives as healthcare systems nationwide grapple with implementing AI solutions while maintaining compliance with provincial privacy laws. According to McEvoy’s office, healthcare organizations must conduct thorough privacy impact assessments before deploying any AI system that processes patient information.
Dr. Samantha Rodriguez, head of digital health innovation at Vancouver General Hospital, acknowledges the tension between innovation and privacy protection. “AI offers tremendous potential to improve patient outcomes and operational efficiency,” she told CO24, “but we must implement these tools responsibly, with privacy safeguards embedded from the design phase.”
The commissioner identified several critical risk areas, including third-party data sharing, algorithmic transparency, and informed consent. Of particular concern is the potential for patient data to be used for purposes beyond direct care—including algorithm training and commercial applications—without explicit patient knowledge.
“Many AI vendors operate under business models that monetize data in ways that may contravene BC’s privacy legislation,” McEvoy noted in the 42-page guidance document. “Healthcare providers remain ultimately responsible for ensuring compliant data handling, regardless of vendor assurances.”
This intervention occurs against a backdrop of rapidly expanding AI adoption across Canadian healthcare. Recent statistics from Canada Health Infoway indicate a 137% increase in healthcare AI implementations since 2021, with diagnostic imaging, clinical documentation, and patient triage among the most common applications.
The British Columbia Medical Association has endorsed the commissioner’s guidelines while emphasizing that physicians maintain responsibility for clinical decisions. “AI tools should augment, not replace, clinical judgment,” said Dr. Kelvin Ng, BCMA president. “These systems lack contextual understanding and the ethical framework that guides human medical practice.”
For patients, the guidance recommends greater transparency about when and how AI is used in their care. McEvoy suggests healthcare providers should explicitly disclose AI use in privacy notices and obtain appropriate consent when systems process sensitive health information.
“The public deserves to know when algorithms are influencing their healthcare,” said Patricia Marston, director of Patient Voices Network British Columbia. “Our surveys show 73% of patients want to be informed when AI is involved in diagnosis or treatment recommendations.”
As provincial governments across Canada develop frameworks for regulating healthcare AI, British Columbia’s guidance may serve as a template for balancing innovation with privacy protection. The federal government has also signaled intentions to modernize privacy legislation to address AI-specific concerns.
As we navigate this transformative period in healthcare delivery, one question remains central to the discourse: Can we harness the tremendous potential of artificial intelligence while preserving the fundamental privacy rights and trust that underpin effective healthcare relationships?
