Artificial intelligence (AI) is set to become an integral part of Australia’s future health technology assessment (HTA) processes, with the HTA Review Implementation Advisory Group (IAG) identifying multiple opportunities for its safe and strategic adoption over the next three years.
Speaking at the AI Health Summit in Sydney, Professor Andrew Wilson AO, Chair of the IAG, stated that AI has the potential to streamline evaluations, enhance transparency, and improve decision-making across the system. “AI will be central to modernising assessment, improving engagement, and helping ensure faster, fairer decisions for patients,” Professor Wilson said.
The IAG was established to advise the Federal Government on the implementation of the 50 recommendations from the final report of the HTA Policy and Processes Review. The IAG's interim report, which has already been provided to Health Minister Mark Butler, identifies five core priorities. They are equitable access, improved engagement, modernised pathways, better data and evidence use, and building workforce capability.
Professor Wilson said the group’s final report, due early 2026, will recommend a staged, multi-year plan for AI adoption.
He said the first stage, from mid-2026, will focus on building the foundations. This could include establishing a national governance and assurance framework that ensures AI tools used in HTA are transparent, explainable, and ethically applied. The framework will be consistent with the Australian Government’s AI Ethics Principles and will establish oversight mechanisms for ensuring quality, security, and ethical use. Guidance will also be developed for sponsors, evaluators, and consultants on the appropriate use of AI in preparing submissions, including protocols for data confidentiality and attribution. Workforce capability will be a central focus, with evaluators and analysts trained to interpret and verify AI-generated insights rather than rely on them uncritically.
Professor Wilson said the second stage, planned for 2027–28, will involve structured pilot projects to test AI in practical, lower-risk areas. These pilots will explore the use of AI for submission triage and workflow management, automating administrative tasks, and identifying incomplete or inconsistent information. AI tools could be used to summarise lengthy technical reports, cross-check data across submissions, and compare evidence from other regulatory or reimbursement agencies in real time.
Professor Wilson said these pilots are expected to demonstrate “how AI can improve both efficiency and accuracy while freeing evaluators to focus on complex value judgments.”
Once governance and assurance frameworks are mature, AI will begin to play a more direct role in the analytical and evaluative stages of HTA. Professor Wilson described a future where AI is used to synthesise clinical, economic, and real-world data into comprehensive, continually updated evidence packages, to model cost-effectiveness under different scenarios or patient populations, and to analyse consumer and clinician input gathered through consultations and surveys. AI could also underpin post-market monitoring by analysing real-world data from hospital systems and PBS claims to track how medicines perform after listing, while dynamically updating assessments as new evidence emerges.
Professor Wilson’s presentation emphasised that AI must operate within clear ethical boundaries. He said adoption would depend on robust governance and monitoring frameworks that guarantee accountability and trust. This will include independent assurance of AI outputs, standards for transparency and explainability, secure information-sharing with industry, and ongoing auditing to ensure consistency with the statutory requirements that underpin PBAC decision-making.
Professor Wilson also highlighted the potential of AI to improve access and equity. He said that by capturing and analysing real-world patient perspectives, AI could strengthen the integration of lived experience into decision-making and help identify inequities in access and outcomes across different population groups.
The IAG Chair told the Summit it aims to deliver its final recommendations in time for inclusion in the 2026–27 Federal Budget, ensuring early funding for pilot programs, data infrastructure, and training.
If implemented, the IAG’s recommendations would see Australia take its first formal steps toward integrating AI into HTA by mid-2026, with initial pilots in 2027 and broader adoption by 2028, potentially marking a significant shift toward a more dynamic, data-driven approach to reimbursement and access.
