AI-PROCARE

Responsible AI Procurement in Healthcare

Author: Åsa Cajander

AI-PROCARE at the NordForsk kick-off in Lund

30 September 2026 /

This week, Marta Lárusdóttir, Johanna Viitanen and Åsa Cajander represented AI-PROCARE at the NordForsk kick-off for the Nordic-Baltic initiative on Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in Lund.

The kick-off brought together the projects funded within the programme, giving us a chance to hear what the other research teams are working on and to discuss our fantastic AI-PROCARE project with researchers from across the Nordic and Baltic countries.

The presentations showed just how broad the question of responsible AI is. The projects approach AI from different perspectives and application areas, raising questions about responsibility, ethics, human involvement, governance and how AI is introduced and used in practice.

It was particularly interesting to see the connections between the projects. Although we study AI in different contexts, many of us are grappling with similar questions about what responsible AI actually means when technologies move from principles and policies into organisations and everyday work.

Lots of interesting discussions, new connections and ideas to bring back home from Lund!

Why procurement matters for responsible AI in healthcare

13 March 2026 /

Artificial intelligence is often discussed in terms of innovation, efficiency, and technical performance. But if we want AI to be introduced in responsible ways in healthcare, we need to look beyond the technology itself.

One important starting point is procurement.

Procurement shapes which AI systems enter healthcare, but also how work is organised, what demands are placed on professionals, and how much support they have in their daily work. In that sense, procurement is not only an administrative process. It also helps shape the work environment.

In AI-PROCARE, we study how procurement of AI in healthcare can better support sustainable and responsible work environments. Our starting point is that responsible AI does not begin when a system is switched on. It begins much earlier, in the decisions about what is procured, why, and on whose terms.