00:00Will AI transform healthcare?
00:02Yes.
00:02If we don't do anything,
00:03our health systems are going to collapse.
00:05You have a risk of becoming very efficient
00:08at being inefficient.
00:15This is a live edition of The Big Question.
00:17I would like to welcome our guest,
00:19the CEO of Health AI,
00:22Ricardo Baptista Leiter.
00:24Ricardo, pleasure to meet you.
00:26Thank you.
00:27Take a seat.
00:27AI, of course, promises to transform healthcare.
00:31How we will actually see that transformation
00:33in Europe over the next few years.
00:35Are you able to share your insights with us
00:37on that to start with?
00:38We at Health AI,
00:39we are the global agency for responsible AI and health,
00:41a global nonprofit based out of Geneva,
00:44working with governments to build ecosystems.
00:46Will AI transform healthcare?
00:48My answer to you is yes.
00:51The question is,
00:52will it do it for the better or for the worse?
00:55And what I mean by that is that
00:57if we just start to introduce artificial intelligence
01:01into our current models of care,
01:03into our current health systems here in Europe,
01:06we have a huge risk
01:07because our health systems are fully focused
01:09on reacting to when people get sick.
01:11They are disease reactive systems.
01:14And so we need to fix the system
01:15so that it focuses on prevention,
01:17on promotion of health,
01:19and on quality of life.
01:20If you retrofit AI into our current models of care,
01:24you have a risk of becoming very efficient
01:27at being inefficient.
01:29The opportunity is here
01:30to use this intelligence revolution
01:33to transform healthcare completely
01:34so we can lower the burden of disease
01:36so that we can make sure
01:37that the citizens across Europe and the world
01:39can have better health outcomes in the future.
01:42What are the biggest problems in healthcare
01:44that AI could realistically help solve at the moment?
01:47AI is already here.
01:48It's already transforming.
01:49Even during COVID,
01:50the development of new vaccines,
01:52almost every company was using some forms of AI.
01:55We're seeing AI across,
01:57so research and development,
01:58diagnostics, imaging technology,
02:00every field of imaging right now
02:02is using some form of AI.
02:04Treatments, robotics, and surgeries,
02:06when we think about virtual assistants,
02:08virtual scribes supporting doctors
02:10in clinical decision making,
02:12even when we talk about
02:13the non-clinical aspects of healthcare
02:16in terms of fraud detection,
02:18financial claims with insurances,
02:20all of these fields have the potential
02:22of improving in terms of outcomes,
02:25be it in terms of cost saving,
02:27but also in terms of efficiency,
02:29in terms of improving health outcomes.
02:37Healthcare systems are under enormous financial pressure
02:40at the moment, of course.
02:41Can AI realistically reduce costs
02:43while also improving outcomes for patients?
02:46If we don't do anything,
02:47our health systems are going to collapse.
02:49They are not sustainable.
02:51People are just getting sicker and sicker.
02:53We're seeing a population that is getting older
02:56and with multiple morbidity.
02:57And so if we do not change the system completely,
03:01we will not be able to have the resources
03:03to make sure everyone will have access
03:05to the health they need.
03:06Mind you, no minister of health,
03:09no prime minister or president in the world
03:11will ever say they're going to shut down
03:12the health system because it went bankrupt.
03:14What bankruptcy translates into healthcare
03:16is into longer waiting lists.
03:19People who do not have money in their pocket
03:21or in more vulnerable situations
03:23are the ones that are going to be left behind.
03:25So if we are serious about making sure
03:28that universal health coverage is a reality,
03:30artificial intelligence can augment
03:32the capacity of clinicians,
03:34of healthcare professionals, of nurses,
03:36of the admin staff,
03:37so that we can maximize our current workforce
03:39so that we can be much more impactful
03:41in improving people's lives.
03:43If the potential health benefits are that significant,
03:45what sort of investment is needed to make it happen?
03:49We are seeing a lot of companies right now
03:51with amazing innovations,
03:52but they're hitting a brick wall.
03:54The question is why?
03:55There's the issue of trust,
03:56and that's what at HealthAI,
03:58working with governments,
03:59we're trying to build the governance system
04:00so that we can put in the proper ecosystem
04:03in terms of regulatory maturity
04:05so that governments and regulatory bodies
04:07are more capable to respond to the needs of AI
04:10and so that citizens and healthcare professionals
04:13can trust the technology.
04:14But then there's the money issue.
04:15Billions are being invested in research and development.
04:17Who is going to pay?
04:18If we want to make sure
04:19that this technology reaches everyone
04:20and not just a privileged few,
04:23health systems and insurances will have to step up.
04:26But the problem is right now,
04:27we don't have the health technology assessment models
04:30in place so that we can assess the technology.
04:33This is incredibly important.
04:34It's part of our work with governments,
04:36which is how do we separate, on one hand,
04:38the snake oil from what is actually working?
04:41Because a lot of technology
04:42that is being promised out there
04:43is actually not that effective.
04:45So how do you separate those two?
04:46And out of those technologies that do work,
04:49how do you make sure
04:50that you're paying the fair price?
04:51So developing those models will be critical
04:54so we can go from the pilot stage we are in today
04:56so that we can scale technologies
04:58and those technologies can help
04:59the systemic transformation.
05:01Is it something governments can realistically fund, though,
05:03or do you think we need to lean more
05:05on the private sector for this investment?
05:07If you look,
05:07the latest global AI patent report
05:10shows that 61% of all AI-related patents
05:13came from China, 21% came from the United States,
05:172% came from the EU plus United Kingdom.
05:21That is a concerning figure.
05:22When we look at AI and health,
05:24when you look at the United States,
05:25it's primarily funded by the private sector,
05:28venture capital.
05:29When you look at China,
05:30the other big powerhouse,
05:31it's mainly state-driven.
05:33This is actually the biggest opportunity for Europe,
05:36which is to be right in the middle,
05:38to bring together the public
05:39and the private sector to work together.
05:41I think it's critical that the European institutions
05:43understand that they need to work closer
05:46with the private sector,
05:47that the regulators need to create
05:48a pathway of conversation
05:50with companies developing the innovations
05:52from the start,
05:53from the moment they start developing the technology
05:55all the way to access to market.
05:57If we can find that perfect balance
05:59between private and public sector,
06:01Europe can really take a step forward
06:03and potentially overcome the lagging
06:06that we are right now.
06:07AI thrives on data,
06:09but health data is sensitive.
06:10How can we guarantee privacy and security
06:14while still, of course,
06:15allowing AI systems to learn from medical data?
06:18I think here in Europe,
06:20we have a huge advantage
06:22in comparison to other jurisdictions
06:23because we have already a lot of frameworks
06:26and mature regulation
06:27when it comes to data privacy,
06:29when it comes to European health
06:30data space legislation,
06:31which can be actually incredibly impactful
06:35even in fostering innovation
06:36if it's well implemented
06:38and ensuring access to the data for developers.
06:41The question I would ask people to think about
06:43is when they travel around the world,
06:46they go with a credit card in their pockets
06:48and they can withdraw cash
06:50in any ATM machine around the world.
06:53And our financial data is highly sensitive.
06:56The financial sector has been able
06:58to put in the incentives
06:59within their commercial model
07:00so it has a global system.
07:02In many parts of Europe,
07:03if I go to a hospital or a clinic
07:05and I go to the clinic across the street,
07:07they can't access my health data.
07:09And so there is a fundamental problem
07:10that we need to solve
07:11and that's where I think
07:12the European health data space legislation
07:14could be a huge opportunity,
07:16not just at the European level,
07:18but at the domestic level
07:19where governments need to prioritize.
07:20If that data is a commodity
07:22and it's worth money,
07:23why can't we redistribute that money
07:25to the people who share their data
07:27and create a model
07:28through which we can incentivize
07:30even through financial incentives
07:31so that people can be part of this process
07:33and control how their data is being shared?
07:35There are huge opportunities
07:36to have data governance models
07:38that can accelerate innovation,
07:40but most importantly,
07:41improve health outcomes for all.
07:42Ricardo, on that note,
07:43thank you very much
07:44for joining us in The Big Question.
07:46We are going to have to end it there,
07:47but it's been great
07:48to get your insights on this.
