It seems everywhere you turn, these days, people are worried about “fake news.” And discussions concerning AI in healthcare are no exception.

To wit, a recent report from the UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Heart and Circulatory Diseases, supported by the British Heart Foundation, urged that “It is vital that efforts to engage the public on AI in healthcare begin right away. If the knowledge gap with regards to AI in healthcare is not filled by the correct information, it will be filled by misinformation.”

The report looked at how AI can have an impact in medicine for patients with heart and circulatory diseases. Seven million people in the U.K. live with heart and circulatory diseases, contributing to one-quarter of deaths.

Despite the low level of public awareness on the topic, 90 percent of respondents in the report agreed it was the responsibility of the National Health Service (NHS) to inform the public about current and future uses of AI in healthcare. Nearly three-quarters stated it was the responsibility of the government, and 91 percent said the public should be well-informed about how AI is used in the healthcare sector.

While there are several AI-led efforts to improve health, the report’s writers observed, they also warned that without informing the public of these critical uses in medicine, the rise of AI could instill fear and fake news.

“I’m not sure the general public know that much about AI, personally,” one patient representative stated in the report. “My fear is that the perception is that it is all to do with robots, which I’ve heard many times, I really don’t think the message has got anywhere near out there yet.”

To ensure patients are informed and engaged with AI, the report recommends NHS set up discussions with charities, the public and others to understand patient views and concerns, what patients need for information sharing, develop routes for information to flow between policymakers and patients, and explore the best way to engage in this effort.

In addition, the report highlighted a number of key recommendations, including:

1. NHSX, the National Health Services new joint organization for digital, data and technology, should set up discussions with charities and the public to explore patients’ views and concerns about the use of AI in healthcare.

2. Academic Health Science Networks should facilitate the exchange of information around new developments in AI between patients charities, and industry partners.

3. The NHS should explore the impact of wearables and AI on health inequalities.

The report also pointed out that a significant challenge for policymakers is the pace of regulation with the rise in technology and use of AI in medicine. The writers also said that as more patient data, powered by AI, is utilized in care, it’s important that patients are part of the conversation in the design and development.