Recap of the First Awareness Workshop Kicks Off in Norway: Exploring Trust, Utility, and Patient Involvement in AI for Lung Cancer Care

On March 19th, 2026, the first Awareness Workshop of the AI4Lungs project was successfully held online in Norway, hosted by the Cancer Registry of Norway at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Led by Jan F. Nygård, Siri Larønningen, and Linn Anita Dahl, the workshop brought together patients, healthcare stakeholders, and experts to discuss the future role of AI in lung diseases diagnostics and treatment. The event aimed to raise awareness about the AI4Lungs project while creating an open dialogue around the opportunities, limitations, and ethical considerations of AI-driven healthcare.

The Recap from the Workshop:

The workshop focused on several key themes, including:

• Introducing the AI4LUNGS Project

• The usefulness and practical utility of AI-supported diagnostics and treatment

• Trust and transparency in AI systems

• The opportunities and challenges of using health registry data for AI development

• Data privacy, security, and European regulations

• The importance of patient involvement in innovation projects

What made the session particularly valuable was its conversational and inclusive atmosphere. Rather than being a one-way presentation, the workshop evolved into a meaningful discussion between organisers from the Cancer Registry of Norway and the participants. A key part of the discussion involved providing a practical and accessible explanation of how an AI-based decision support system, such as the one being developed within AI4LUNGS, could function in real clinical settings.

Registry Data:

One of the central topics of discussion was the use of health registry data in developing and validating AI algorithms. Participants explored both the benefits and challenges associated with registry-based data, including:

• Representativity and potential bias in datasets

• Data completeness and structure

• Privacy protection and cybersecurity

• Regulatory considerations linked to the AI Act

• Data sharing across European and international partners

• Differences between Cancer Registry data and hospital-based clinical data

The conversation highlighted a growing awareness that trustworthy AI systems depend heavily on the quality, diversity, and governance of the data used to train them.

Trust in AI:

The discussion from the workshop shows that trust is indispensable in AI use especially in the healthcare field. Here are some of the points to better improve trusts in AI.

• Having representative and inclusive datasets

• Understanding how AI systems are developed and implemented

• Clarifying who is responsible for using AI-supported recommendations in clinical settings

  
  

Conclusion from the Workshop:

Although many attendees had limited direct experience with AI-based clinical tools, the overall perception of AI decision-support systems was highly positive.

Participants identified several potential benefits, including:

• More equal and fair treatment across hospitals and clinicians

• Faster and more streamlined diagnostics and treatment pathways

• More personalised diagnostics and care plans

• Additional support for clinicians working in smaller hospitals through “virtual communities” of expertise

• Improved communication between patients and clinicians

  
  

A Strong Start for Continued Collaboration

The first Awareness Workshop in Norway demonstrated strong interest in responsible, patient-centered AI innovation for lung cancer care. The discussions reflected both optimism and caution, recognising the transformative potential of AI while emphasising the need for trust, transparency, representative data, and meaningful patient involvement.

By creating an open and approachable dialogue between healthcare experts and patients, the workshop also highlighted the importance of making AI understandable and relevant to the people it is ultimately designed to support.

As AI4Lungs continues to develop, the workshop marked an important first step toward building a collaborative ecosystem where clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and patients can shape the future of AI-enabled healthcare together.

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