Institutional Review Board
Also written: IRB
A committee that reviews and approves research involving human subjects to ensure ethical conduct and protect participant rights.
An Institutional Review Board, or IRB, is a group that reviews research proposals involving people. Their main job is to make sure the research is conducted ethically and that the rights and welfare of the participants are protected.
Think of it like a safety board for experiments on humans. Before a study can begin, the researchers must submit their plan to the IRB. The IRB then examines the plan to ensure it's fair, safe, and that participants understand what they are agreeing to, often through informed consent. For example, a study testing a new AI tool for mental health would need IRB approval before it could enroll patients.
An Institutional Review Board (IRB) is a committee established to review and oversee the ethical conduct of research involving human subjects. Its primary function is to ensure that research protocols comply with federal regulations and ethical principles, such as beneficence, justice, and respect for persons. IRBs review research proposals, consent forms, and recruitment materials to safeguard the rights, safety, and well-being of participants. This includes assessing risks and benefits, ensuring adequate informed consent, and monitoring ongoing studies.
AI research, particularly in sensitive areas like healthcare and user interaction, increasingly involves human subjects. Frontier AI labs are conducting studies to understand the real-world impact and safety of their systems, necessitating oversight from bodies like IRBs to ensure ethical standards are met. This aligns with growing public and regulatory scrutiny of AI's societal implications.
- Collaborating on a nationwide randomized study of AI in real-world virtual careGoogle · Google Research Blog ·
- Google Gemini
- Google Gemini is involved in studies that require Institutional Review Board approval to ensure the ethical and safe deployment of AI in healthcare settings.
- Ethics Committee
- While often overlapping in function, an ethics committee may h
- Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB)
- A DSMB monitors participant safety during a
The concept of Institutional Review Boards originated in the United States following the Nuremberg Code and the Belmont Report, which were responses to unethical human experimentation. Source ↗
While you cannot directly interact with an IRB, you can explore research papers or news articles about AI studies that mention IRB approval. Look for studies involving AI in healthcare or education and see how they describe their ethical review processes. This will give you a sense of the types of research that require such oversight.
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Questions people ask
- What is the main goal of an IRB?
- The main goal of an IRB is to protect the rights and welfare of human subjects involved in research by reviewing and approving research protocols.
- Who serves on an IRB?
- IRBs typically include scientists, non-scientists, and community members to provide diverse perspectives on the ethical considerations of research.
- Does all AI research need IRB approval?
- IRB approval is generally required for AI research that involves direct interaction with or collection of data from human subjects, especially in sensitive contexts like healthcare or education.
First seen on Subvolts Feb 3, 2026. Updated Sep 15, 2026. Written by an AI model from the items above and reviewed against them weekly; report an error.