The emergence of revolutionary technologies seems to have accelerated in recent times.
Since its launch in November 2022, OpenAI's generative AI chatbot ChatGPT has become a global buzzword, generating more than 100 million users and numerous imitators.
The capabilities of this technology have also caught the attention of world leaders and dominated discussions at both the United Nations climate change conference in Dubai (COP28) and the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos.
It's not difficult to understand why.
By leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) tools developed by private companies like OpenAI, governments and civil society organizations could make significant progress in addressing global challenges such as climate change and economic inequality.
Additionally, they could revolutionize the way we fight infectious diseases, ensuring that life-saving care reaches those who need it most.
Tuberculosis is an excellent example.
This preventable and curable disease claims an average of more than 3,000 lives a day.
Although transmission mechanisms are well understood and highly effective treatments (including new and improved drugs) are available worldwide, tuberculosis still caused 1.3 million deaths in 2022.
AI tools could play a central role in the global fight against tuberculosis.
To this end, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is seeking public-private partnerships to develop and implement innovative digital tools in public health.
During a recent trip to Bangladesh, for example, I met a team of health care providers from the public and private sectors who, joined by local community leaders, are using digital x-rays, artificial intelligence and telemedicine to facilitate rapid detection of tuberculosis.
Patients whose X-rays show signs of tuberculosis could immediately send sputum samples for testing and receive treatment at the community level, free of charge.
Similar initiatives are being launched around the world.
In the Pakistani province of Punjab, humanitarian aid organization Mercy Corps uses artificial intelligence tools to identify “hotspots” (remote or rural areas where tuberculosis cases could go undetected) and establish mobile health camps to provide diagnostic services and treatment directly to local residents.
At the Padre de la Vega prison in Paraguay, healthcare workers use Fujifilm radiographers (ultralight and portable) and AI technology for rapid and accurate detection of tuberculosis.
In Cambodia, doctors at the National Center for Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control in Phnom Penh take portable Delft radiographers to surrounding provinces, to diagnose patients who cannot travel to the capital.
And in Indonesia, a new partnership between the Global Fund, Siemens Healthineers and the national tuberculosis program seeks
scale up early detection initiatives, combining deep learning AI technology and x-ray analysis so radiologists can read x-rays remotely.
Innovative and focused projects such as those mentioned are crucial to overcome persistent inequities that facilitate the spread of infectious diseases: poverty, displacement due to war and climate, overcrowding and lack of access to health services.
In addition, they lay the foundations for the creation of resilient health systems that meet the needs of each person.
For example, in addition to tuberculosis screening, mobile health camps in Pakistan provide essential services for women and young children.
These examples highlight the importance of fostering collaboration between businesses, industry leaders, governments and local healthcare providers to come up with innovative ways to address solvable problems like tuberculosis.
That's why the Global Fund, which provides 76% of all international funding to end tuberculosis, also allocates more than $150 million (€138 million) a year to develop digital tools to promote equity and help remote communities to access critical healthcare services.
But much more is needed.
Designing specific, effective and sustainable solutions requires active engagement with local communities to curb other threats to public health, such as pandemics and antimicrobial resistance.
That is why it is essential to have committed partners who can devise and develop cutting-edge digital tools.
By using AI to increase local medical expertise, we have the opportunity to overcome tuberculosis once and for all.
In a world filled with innovative ideas and emerging technologies that until recently were beyond our imagination, ending this global scourge, and perhaps others, is finally within our reach.
Mohammed Yassin, an infectious disease physician and epidemiologist, is a senior advisor on tuberculosis at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
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