CEO speaks: Redefining the Art of Healing: AI’s Role in 21st-Century Clinic

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is redefining healthcare in ways that seemed impossible even a few years ago. From predicting illnesses before symptoms surface to assisting during complex surgeries and streamlining long-term patient care, AI is transforming the medical landscape at an unprecedented pace. With healthcare systems globally grappling with the pressures of rising patient loads, shrinking workforces, and mounting costs, AI is not just as a technological tool but a transformative force across every phase of medical care—pre-diagnosis, clinical intervention, and post-diagnosis management.

The greatest promise of AI lies in its capacity to prevent disease, not just treat it. By analysing massive volumes of patient data, including genetic profiles, lifestyle patterns and environmental exposures, AI systems can predict the risk of developing conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or certain cancers. Research suggests that predictive analytics in healthcare could save the US healthcare system alone over $100 billion annually by reducing hospital admissions and enabling early interventions.

One striking example is Google’s DeepMind, which developed an AI model capable of detecting over 50 eye diseases as accurately as world-leading doctors. Similarly, IBM Watson has shown potential in analysing radiology images and flagging early signs of tumours that might be invisible to the human eye. In India, startups like Niramai are using AI-based thermal imaging to offer non-invasive and radiation-free early detection of breast cancer, especially useful in low-resource rural settings. Wearable devices like Apple Watch and Fitbit now include AI-powered heart monitoring that can detect irregular rhythms, like atrial fibrillation, prompting timely medical attention. These technologies are democratising preventive care, bringing early diagnostics into the homes of millions.

Once a diagnosis is made, AI is enhancing the precision and personalisation of medical interventions. China is leading the way. Just last month, researchers at Tsinghua University launched the “Agent Hospital”, a fully virtual facility, staffed by 14 AI doctors and 4 AI nurses who can manage up to 3,000 patient interactions per day. In fact, these AI agents scored an impressive 93.06% on the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE), comparable to and better than many human doctors!

China has also been pushing the envelope in robotic surgery. The EYE & ENT Hospital of Fudan University recently completed the world’s first remote, non-invasive AI-powered surgery, utilising a transoral robotic system. The operation was performed from over 5,000 kms away, showcasing sub-millimeter precision and cutting surgical time by nearly 30%.

Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) are learning and improving through continuous feedback and real-world data. One particularly compelling case is that of Aidoc, an AI-powered radiology platform that helps detect anomalies in medical imaging—such as brain bleeds or pulmonary embolisms—in real time, allowing doctors to prioritise critical cases swiftly. During the Covid-19 pandemic, AI tools like Qure.ai, a Mumbai based start-up, were deployed across hospitals in India to screen chest X-rays, triage patients, and optimise ICU resources. Qure has also demonstrated encouraging results for TB diagnosis.

Pharmaceutical development has also been accelerated through AI. Companies like Insilico Medicine and Benevolent AI are using machine learning to identify drug targets and simulate trials in silico. This has significantly reduced drug discovery timelines—sometimes from years to months. Insilico Medicine’s AI-designed drug for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), Rentosertib, has been granted an official name by USAN. This is the first drug where both the target and compound were discovered using generative AI, marking a major milestone in AI-driven drug development globally!

AI doesn’t just stop at treatment, it follows the patient home. One of the most impactful uses of AI is in chronic disease management, where tools continuously monitor patient health and alert caregivers to potential complications. For example, AI chatbots like Woebot offer mental health support by engaging patients in cognitive behavioural therapy conversations, tracking mood changes, and offering interventions when signs of depression or anxiety arise.

In post-operative care, AI is being used to track recovery progress through digital health platforms that collect data from wearables and mobile inputs. For the next generation of medical professionals, understanding AI will be just as critical as understanding anatomy. Universities around the world are responding. Institutions like Stanford, MIT, and AIIMS have already introduced interdisciplinary courses combining medicine and machine learning, preparing students for a new era of healthcare delivery.

AI isn’t here to replace doctors, it’s here to amplify their expertise. It’s transforming healthcare into an ecosystem that is not just reactive but predictive, not just generic but personalised, not just clinical but deeply human. Just as the stethoscope revolutionised 19th-century diagnostics and MRI machines reshaped 20th-century medicine, AI is poised to become the defining tool of 21st-century care. The question is no longer if AI will change healthcare, but how swiftly and wisely we can harness its intelligence to heal faster, think sharper, and care deeper!

The author is the Group CEO of Techno India Group, a visionary and an educator. Beyond his corporate role, he is also a mentor who guides students towards resilience and self-discovery