The Future of AI Enabled Health 2025

Executive summary Artificial intelligence (AI) is part of a broader digital revolution2 that has the potential to transform healthcare in many ways. At the front end, AI- enabled tools can improve care, from enhancing clinicians’ capabilities and freeing up time for them to focus on patient relationships to enabling patients to take greater control of their own health; at the back end, augmenting non-patient-facing elements improves the efficiency of all facets of healthcare delivery and life sciences by optimizing system-wide operations. However, the adoption of AI at scale remains slow, and there is a risk that its transformative potential in healthcare may not be fully realized. The World Economic Forum Digital Healthcare Transformation (DHT) initiative has conducted research on AI adoption in healthcare through interviews with experts. Three major challenges were identified that hinder the scaling of AI in healthcare:1. Complexity of AI in health deterring policy- makers and business leaders: Despite the perception that AI in health receives significant attention and energy, it struggles to gain traction on political and strategic agendas. 2. Misalignment of technical choices with strategic visions: Health leaders often delegate technical decisions, missing opportunities to align technology with their strategic goals. Additionally, misaligned incentives often hinder decisions from supporting shared goals and collective ideals.3 3. Low confidence in AI within a fragmented regulatory and governance framework: Rising public distrust in AI and industry scepticism could hinder its adoption in health.AI in healthcare can be transformative, but if action is not taken on six pivotal transitions, the health sector is at risk of not reaching its full potential and falling behind. The Future of AI-Enabled Health: Leading the Way 5