Responsible AI & Digital Health
Transforming healthcare and cardiology
Guiding a responsible path for innovation in cardiology
Working together for smarter and safer care
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already transforming healthcare and cardiology, and its true potential is only just beginning to unfold.
From improving diagnosis to enabling more personalised treatments, AI has the power to deliver faster, more accurate and more impactful care that reflects the unique needs of each patient.
This is an inspiring moment for medicine, but with great opportunity comes shared responsibility. To ensure AI truly serves patients and clinicians, it must be developed and applied in a way that is safe, reliable and grounded in evidence.
As a leading scientific society, we are not only raising awareness and providing education for the cardiovascular community, but we’re also helping to shape how AI is used responsibly across the field.
“Together, we’re shaping a future where AI not only advances cardiology but also empowers clinicians and improves lives. By focusing on critical areas such as data quality, evaluation frameworks, stakeholder engagement and continuous collaboration, the European Society of Cardiology aims to lead the way in the safe and effective use of AI in cardiology.”
Professor Folkert Asselbergs
ESC Digital and AI Cardiology Committee Chair
Collaborating with policymakers and regulators
Delivering innovative solutions that improve patient outcomes
The digital health and AI evolution is moving rapidly.
The ESC is in continuous dialogue with regulators to share our community’s expertise on both the opportunities and the risks of AI in research and clinical practice.
It is our priority to empower healthcare professionals to harness this potential safely and effectively, delivering innovative solutions that improve patient outcomes and strengthen care.
Equally, we are deeply committed to ensuring that the regulatory framework for AI in healthcare upholds transparency, safety and ethical integrity, while providing strong legal safeguards for both patients and professionals.
AI Regulation and Healthcare in Europe
What you need to know
The European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act, in force since summer 2024, is a landmark regulation shaping AI use across sectors, including healthcare. While comprehensive, it leaves key questions open—such as data quality, algorithm validation, and medical liability. Addressing these gaps is essential for safe, effective clinical adoption.
We actively engage with EU policymakers, providing recommendations and monitoring initiatives like the Artificial Intelligence Act to ensure AI in healthcare remains responsible, patient-centered, and ethical.
Through the EU-funded CORE-MD consortium, we have developed guidance for evaluating high-risk AI applications, calling for transparency in evidence and performance.
The European Health Data Space
Unlocking the Power of Health Data
The European Health Data Space (EHDS) is a landmark EU initiative designed to enable secure, responsible use of health data across Europe. By promoting cross-border exchange, EHDS aims to:
- Improve healthcare deliver
- Accelerate research and innovatio
- Strengthen cardiovascular health
- Enhance outcomes for individual patients
Our role is to actively support EHDS implementation by sharing cardiovascular expertise with EU institutions and advocating for harmonised, clinician-driven approaches. With over 20 years of experience coordinating cardiovascular registries in more than 100 countries and 4,500 centres, we work closely with policymakers to ensure this vision becomes a reality.
Much of this effort takes place through the European Commission’s eHealth Stakeholder Group, where ESC is an active member. This enables collaboration between clinicians, the key enablers of this new approach, which is essential to bridge the gap between innovation, research, and everyday practice. Together, we can ensure health data truly benefits the patients and communities we serve.
AI, data science and research
Quality data that AI can use
High-quality data are essential for safe, effective AI in healthcare.
To achieve this, we set clear standards that ensure data are reliable, consistent, and unbiased, while safeguarding patient privacy and security. In cardiology, AI can only deliver its full potential when we use standardised, computable definitions for diseases and outcomes.
ESC leads this work, creating a comprehensive phenotype library to integrate seamlessly into AI algorithms and clinical decision-making. This standardisation underpins research, computable guidelines, and ethical, accurate application of AI for patients everywhere.
Active research projects to advance care
Proud to be a consortium partner in three major active EU-funded research projects
AI4HF
AI4HF is an innovative initiative that harnesses the power of AI to provide personalised risk assessment and care plans for individuals living with Chronic Heart Failure. It utilises advanced AI algorithms, global collaboration and a patient-centred approach to improve healthcare outcomes.
DataTools4Heart
This initiative will create a comprehensive cardiology data toolbox for clinicians, researchers and data scientists. The toolbox will enable data ingestion and harmonisation, natural language processing in multiple languages, federated machine learning and data synthesis.
GREG
GREG (Testing, improving, and co-creating Guidance and Tools for Real World Evidence Generation and Use for Decision-Making in Europe), unites 29 partner organisations to advance real-world evidence practices for the development and evaluation of medicines and medical devices in Europe.
Also of interest
Digital Cardiology and Artificial Intelligence Committee
The Digital Cardiology and Artificial Intelligence Committee is dedicated to advancing innovative technologies that enhance physicians’ ability to prevent, diagnose, and manage heart disease. We are committed to ensuring the responsible onboarding of transformative technologies, such artificial intelligence, for the benefit of patients.