Artificial intelligence has entered medicine with a force that few could have imagined. Around the world, algorithms are beginning to read scans faster than radiologists, predict diseases years before symptoms emerge, and sift through millions of records to uncover insights invisible to the human eye.
For a country like India, where one doctor often serves thousands, this is not merely innovation—it is a necessity. Yet, technology alone is never enough. The true art of healing lies in empathy, trust and human connection. Machines can recognise patterns, but it is the doctor who understands the story behind them—listening, comforting and carrying the responsibility of care. The real promise of AI is not to replace the physician, but to free them to focus on what only they can do. At Apollo, that conviction is driving real change. Our teams are deploying AI tools to ease clinician workload and free up precious time for human care. We have introduced a stroke-diagnosis system that accelerates imaging interpretation, improving outcomes in time-sensitive emergencies. In oncology, AI helps tailor treatments and monitor patient trajectories. We have also launched AICVD, a predictive programme to identify early cardiac risk, and through Apollo 24|7, we are building a Clinical Intelligence Engine that fuses millions of records with medical logic to support decision-making across care settings.
Apollo’s Clinical AI ecosystem has matured significantly, with 20 certified algorithms across four domains, over 3.5 million user transactions through API calls, and a strategic shift from conventional CDSS (Clinical Decision Support System) to an evolving Intelligent Choice Architecture—an active frontier of applied research and clinical impact. Yet the real frontier lies in what remains untapped. AI can scale diagnostics to rural India, predict outbreaks, personalise treatments at the molecular level, connect wearables and sensors into continuous care, and most powerfully, democratise specialist insight across geographies.
Globally too, the shifts are striking. Multimodal models that combine text, images, lab results and genomics are already transforming research. Embodied AI is being tested for roles such as nurse assistants and mobile diagnostics. Drug discovery is accelerating, with nearly a third of future therapies expected to have AI involvement, cutting costs and timelines.
In January, this transition will find resonance at the International Health Dialogue 2026, themed: Global Voices. One Vision. For over 12 years, Apollo has consistently supported this platform, shaping it into a space for thoughtful global conversations on health care transformation. IHD 2026 will bring together clinicians, policymakers, researchers and technology leaders to reflect on how artificial intelligence can be integrated into medicine with responsibility and care. The emphasis will remain on dialogue, ethics, patient safety, inclusion and trust—reinforcing the belief that while technology can advance medicine, it is human judgement and compassion that must continue to guide it. Even as we embrace this future, caution is essential. Who owns the data? How do we ensure that models reflect Indian genetics and environments? Can we prevent AI from amplifying inequities, where those with access to digital tools benefit more than those without? These questions remind us that technology is never neutral. It mirrors the choices we make, the values we embed and the safeguards we insist upon.
For AI to transform health care, it must be built on diverse, inclusive datasets that capture the realities of both men and women, across ages, communities, and geographies. Only then can it reflect the full spectrum of humanity.
In this evolving landscape, technology must serve humanity rather than overshadow it. The future of medicine will not be shaped by machines or humans in isolation, but by a partnership between intelligence and empathy. When that balance is nurtured, AI can help create health care that is faster, fairer and more humane. The horizon is already in sight, calling us to step forward with conviction.
Dr Preetha Reddy is Executive Vice Chairperson of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited.