Can AI make global health accessible to all, and how can it move beyond the "one-way donation" model?

Can technological progress automatically translate into social progress?

At the recently held Fifth Global Development and Health Communication Forum (hereinafter referred to as "the Forum"), many participating experts held that artificial intelligence (AI) brings new opportunities for inclusive health to developing countries, but may also intensify the infodemic and technological risks, bringing real-world challenges.

According to one estimate, roughly 30 to 40 percent of pregnant women in Africa may never have received any ultrasound examination, which increases their childbirth risks. Today, AI technology can automatically interpret complex images, and Chinese companies such as Edan Instruments have already brought related products into the African market. Pregnant women use a mouse-sized ultrasound probe at their doorstep, moving it gently a few times over the abdomen, and AI can assist in completing examinations that previously required experienced ultrasound doctors, saving hundreds of kilometers of travel and bringing a positive impact on maternal safety in Africa and other developing countries. In addition, AI can help radiologists in resource-limited areas reduce image-reading time and improve accuracy and sensitivity.

However, while enjoying the convenience of AI, developing countries also face severe challenges. At the above-mentioned Forum, co-hosted by the Tsinghua University Center for Global Development and Health Communication and the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific, participating experts held that if AI technology lacks reliable data and participation by diverse actors, it is highly likely to amplify existing biases, deepen the information divide, and even weaken social trust.

For a long time, in the macro narrative of global health and development, the Global South has often been regarded as a data collection point or a recipient of external knowledge. Paulin Basinga, director of the Gates Foundation's Africa office, said at the Forum that Africa cannot merely be a user of AI; it also needs to participate in shaping relevant knowledge, tools and decisions.

He said that in practice, developing countries are continuously demonstrating local innovation and leadership. For example, South Africa has achieved localized production of oral cholera vaccine and conducted clinical trials, Kenya and Rwanda have made breakthroughs in the production of prequalified syringes, and Senegal has developed a rapid diagnostic test for measles.

Therefore, for AI-enabled health information to truly become an information public good benefiting the Global South, it must go beyond the traditional one-way donation model. Tang Kun, associate professor at Tsinghua University Vanke School of Public Health and director of the Tsinghua University Africa Center, said that a true partnership should be built on mutual respect, two-way learning and long-term capacity building.

James Tibenderana, chief executive of the Malaria Consortium, said that international organizations, universities, governments and technology companies should jointly invest in data capacity building, infrastructure and local talent cultivation in Global South countries, ensuring that governance sovereignty over technology and data is held by local institutions.