This discussion examines whether AI can meaningfully strengthen global health systems by addressing challenges such as workforce shortages, delayed diagnostics, fragmented data systems, and outbreak preparedness, while critically exploring the growing gap between rapid AI deployment and the evidence, infrastructure, and frontline capacity needed to support it.
This event was hosted in partnership with the Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics.
This session is part of the Harvard Global Health Institute’s ongoing AI in Global Health Coffee Sessions in the series. These sessions explore the evolving role of artificial intelligence in global health from multiple perspectives, including evaluation, implementation, governance, equity, and policy. While each session focuses on a distinct topic, the conversations are designed to build on one another and reflect the interdisciplinary questions shaping the field. Together, they highlight both the opportunities and the broader considerations involved in applying AI in global health contexts.
To learn more about other sessions in our AI in Global Health series, visit our recording & resources pages.
2:24 – From Workforce Shortages to Delayed Diagnostics: What Problems Is AI Actually Helping Solve in Global Health?
12:42 – Rose Nakasi on “Ocula,” an AI-Assisted Microscopy Tool for Malaria Diagnosis in Remote Areas Without Connectivity
17:16 – Sameer Pujari on Real-World AI Case Studies and Applications Already Impacting Healthcare Systems
23:02 – Which AI Technologies in Health Are Overhyped, and Which Underrecognized Tools Show the Most Promise?
31:16 – Could Reliable AI Chatbots Become an Accessible Entry Point for Frontline Health Workers and Patients?
37:16 – WHO Guidelines, Validation Standards, and the Challenge of Deploying AI Responsibly in Health Systems
39:33 – Audience Q&A
Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Health | World Health Organization
Launch – Casebook on AI Health Use Cases Across the Global South, New Delhi | World Health Organization
Explore key insights on how governments and funders can foster equitable, locally driven partnerships to responsibly scale AI innovation in global health.
Explore key insights on how governments and funders can foster equitable, locally driven partnerships to responsibly scale AI innovation in global health.
Our speakers share their perspectives on how “high-tech” tools can amplify women’s voices and “high-touch” training can center compassionate, patient-responsive care to address critical challenges across diverse maternal health systems.
