The ROUTINE AI sandbox was established to advance the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare and nursing in Baden-Württemberg. Examples of AI applications include smartphone apps that can help detect neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s disease at an early stage by continuously analyzing data on voice, movement patterns, typing behavior, social interactions, and lifestyle. AI can also be used to analyze intensive care data in order to enable more effective treatment. 

To transfer relevant projects from theory into practice and enable start-ups, companies, and healthcare providers to test new applications, the ROUTINE AI sandbox was launched in October 2022. The sandbox provides a protected experimental environment for AI developments, allowing them to be transferred into practical application more quickly. 

The aim is to establish an EU AI Act-compliant sandbox that can serve as a blueprint for other real-world laboratories in healthcare. Through an iterative process, the consortium is developing the framework conditions for an experimentation and testing environment for innovation and regulation, data trust structures, and exemplary use cases to support the development and regulation of AI. 

The translation of AI developments into practice, the identification of barriers to translation, and the development of AI competencies and acceptance are key areas of focus for the consortium. The structured use of medical data in compliance with data protection requirements is an important element of the framework conditions, alongside the emerging EU AI Act.