Global leaders discuss most pressing questions around AI in health care and traditional medicine at UN Summit

The AI for Good Global Summit included a session focused on artificial intelligence (AI) in health care and traditional medicine – with keynotes from the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Held annually, the Summit is the United Nations’ (UN) leading platform on AI to solve global challenges. The 2025 Summit ran from 8–11 July in Geneva, Switzerland and was organized by ITU in partnership with over 40 UN agencies and co-convened with the Government of Switzerland.

It examined AI-driven solutions for critical global challenges, including climate change, health inequality, humanitarian action and disaster response – while also championing ethical and sustainable AI development.

The Summit featured a Centre Stage Keynote session examining the progress and future priorities for the Global Initiative on AI for Health (GI-AI4H), which was launched in July 2023 by WHO, ITU and WIPO.

Although traditional medicine has been instrumental to the health and well-being of people for centuries, responsible use of AI could unlock even greater potential for good. “For us at WHO, AI is nothing short of a game changer in public health, in clinical medicine, and in maintaining our well-being as individuals,” said Alain Labrique, Director for the Department of Digital Health and Innovation, WHO.

In the session, Dr Labrique explained that WHO will be focusing its efforts and expertise on some key priority areas: governance – asking if countries are ready to take on AI-based systems within their health system; regulation – assessing if countries have the necessary regulatory and assessment frameworks to evaluate whether an AI tool is good; and localization – evaluating if an AI tool is appropriate for the context in which it is being deployed.

The session unveiled findings from GI-AI4H’s most recent initiative, Mapping the application of artificial intelligence in traditional medicine: technical brief, examining the use and future potential of AI in traditional medicine.

“This first joint AI publication fittingly begins with traditional medicine in bridging the historical foundations and technological frontiers of knowledge,” said Dr Shyama Kuruvilla, Director a.i. of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre. “It advocates for responsible AI applications across time, scientific advances, and cultures in contributing to planetary health and well-being.”

The technical brief was also explored in depth at a Summit Workshop, Enabling AI for health innovation and access. During the workshop, Dr Kuruvilla  discussed the diverse ways that AI is currently being used in traditional medicine while also highlighting gaps in knowledge and understanding, as well as risks and challenges.