The use of artificial intelligence as part of the FDA’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety

Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, Commissioner of Food and Drugs, wrote bout the agency initiative to leverage the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as part of the FDA’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety. The ultimate goal is to see if AI can improve the FDA’s ability to quickly and efficiently identify products that may pose a threat to public health. The FDA launched a pilot program in the spring of 2019 to learn the added benefits of using AI, specifically machine learning (ML), in our import-screening processes. The FDA decided to test the new approach on imported seafood to assess the utility of using AI/ML to better target seafood at the border that may be unsafe.  The proof of concept resulted in exciting results, suggesting that this approach has real potential to be a tool that expedites the clearance of lower risk seafood shipments and identifies those that are higher risk. The proof of concept demonstrated that AI/ML could almost triple the likelihood of identifying a shipment containing products of public health concern. Technology Modernization Action Plan (TMAP) provides a foundation for the development of the FDA’s ongoing strategy. The pilot also allows learning how to utilize the knowledge needed from the vast volume of data. One of the primary goals of our pilot is to assess the ability of AI/ML to more quickly, efficiently, and comprehensively take advantage of all the data and information residing in our systems.  @ https://www.fda.gov/news-events/fda-voices/import-screening-pilot-unleashes-power-data-and-leverages-artificial-intelligence