Beyond the Black Box: Building Trustworthy, Explainable and Human-Centred AI for the Future of Healthcare
Vikas Kumar, University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom
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David Dawson, National Health Service (NHS), United Kingdom
Short Bio
Professor Vikas Kumar is Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation and Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management at the University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom. He is an internationally recognised scholar whose research focuses on circular economy, digital supply chains and sustainable supply chain management, with particular emphasis on sustainability, Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0, digital transformation, and resilient, technology-enabled operations.
Professor Kumar has published over 400 articles in leading international journals and conference proceedings, co-authored three books, and edited more than ten volumes with prestigious academic publishers, including Springer, Taylor & Francis, Emerald and De Gruyter. His research has attracted over 26,000 citations on Google Scholar, with an h-index of 85 and an i10-index of 241.
His academic contributions have received international recognition, including inclusion in the World's Top Scientists rankings for 2021–2022 and 2024–2026 (Stanford University and Elsevier), Scholarly Index's Top 1000 Scholars 2026, and Clarivate's Top 1% Highly Cited Researchers list in 2024. His research has also demonstrated significant policy impact, with citations in 117 policy documents worldwide, alongside further evidence of influence through more than 500 additional policy documents referencing publications that cite his research.
His current research interests increasingly explore the intersection of digital transformation, artificial intelligence, sustainability and responsible innovation, particularly the opportunities and challenges associated with developing trustworthy, transparent and human-centred technological systems. Through his research and academic leadership, Professor Kumar seeks to advance interdisciplinary collaboration and translate research excellence into meaningful societal and organisational impact.
Abstract
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming healthcare through advances in clinical decision-making, predictive analytics, personalised medicine and healthcare service delivery. However, as AI systems become increasingly sophisticated and integrated into clinical practice, fundamental questions surrounding transparency, explainability, trust, accountability and human oversight become ever more critical. The challenge is no longer simply developing more intelligent systems, but ensuring that these systems are trustworthy, responsible and aligned with human and societal needs.
Drawing on emerging research into AI transparency, explainability and sustainable healthcare, this keynote explores the transition from opaque, black-box algorithms towards more interpretable, accountable and human-centred AI ecosystems. It examines the importance of Explainable AI (XAI) in strengthening clinical confidence, supporting informed decision-making and enabling meaningful human–AI collaboration. Particular attention will be given to the ethical, organisational and governance challenges associated with deploying AI in complex healthcare environments.
The keynote will also explore the potential of emerging technologies, including blockchain-enabled data governance and next-generation intelligent AI systems, to strengthen transparency, data integrity, trust and accountability across healthcare ecosystems. Ultimately, it argues that the future of intelligent healthcare must extend beyond technological performance to embrace responsible innovation, human-centred design and sustainability.
By bringing together technological, ethical and organisational perspectives, this keynote aims to stimulate discussion on how we can build healthcare systems that are not only intelligent, but also explainable, trustworthy, inclusive and sustainable.