VITAI Hospital

What is artificial intelligence? Where do you come across it, and just how smart is a computer really? UMCG researcher Mirjam Plantinga, in collaboration with the team at 8D Games, has developed a serious game called ‘VITAI Hospital’ for children aged 10 to 15, exploring the use of AI in healthcare.

At VITAI Hospital, artificial intelligence is used extensively, but recently things have been going wrong with the AI. This is the story behind the ‘serious game’ for children aged 10 to 15. The game is designed as an ‘escape room’, and players help Dr Sara get the hospital’s AI back on track. During the game, which can be played both online and offline, children learn about the underlying choices involved in the development of AI.

The game

The game consists of a combination of online and physical modules. By solving various puzzles, pupils learn what has gone wrong with the AI in the fictional hospital. The game is explicitly tailored to children’s experiences and is fun to play.

This includes ethical questions about what AI should or should not do. Children also learn the differences between AI and other technologies. The role of the game leaders during the game is important: they facilitate the in-depth discussions that arise from the short games. The game’s key message is that AI is human work.

ELSA-NN

The game is available from today and was commissioned by ELSA AI Lab Northern Netherlands (ELSA-NN), a centre of expertise that aims to promote the responsible development and implementation of AI in healthcare. ELSA focuses on ethical, legal and societal aspects (ELSA).

The Jantina Tammes School of Digital Society, Technology and AI is a partner of ELSA-NN and is involved in the development of VITAI. For further information or to request the game, please contact Mirjam Plantinga at m.plantinga umcg.nl.