How will AI change global health?

While the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, traditionally centers on mobile communications, in recent years its scope has broadened significantly to encompass a wider range of technologies.

Devex was on the ground earlier this month to track the growing influence of artificial intelligence on global health. Conversations explored AI’s potential to revolutionize health care delivery, alongside the critical need to mitigate associated risks.

Notably, a panel on AI regulation highlighted the urgent call for collaboration between regulators and developers to establish strong governance frameworks, ensuring responsible deployment of this transformative technology.

The growing convergence of global and digital health was a clear theme at MWC.

Addressing this intersection, Vodafone Foundation Managing Director Lisa Felton pinpointed the critical AI skills gap between the global north and south.

“There is a huge AI digital divide developing. So low-income young people are being left behind. Young people in schools which are in poorer areas or in rural areas don’t have the same access to devices, to connectivity, or to AI teaching, and that's going to create real problems going forward,” she said.

Reinforcing the importance of bridging this gap, Jean Philbert Nsengimana, chief digital health adviser at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, underscored AI’s pivotal role in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in mitigating health worker shortages.

Watch our conversations with experts in the field.