WHO convenes global summit on AI governance in healthcare
AI health governance discussions focused on regulation, accountability, infrastructure, workforce readiness and equitable access to technology.
The World Health Organization has brought ministers and senior officials from 37 countries to Lisbon to develop a shared approach to AI health governance, patient safety and equitable access to emerging technologies.
The global conference, co-hosted by WHO/Europe and the Portuguese government, brings together representatives from all six WHO regions, alongside leaders from the European Commission, the World Bank, the Wellcome Trust, the Aga Khan University and the Gates Foundation.
WHO said its assessment of AI readiness across the European Region revealed a substantial gap between AI adoption and governance. Nearly two-thirds of countries already use AI in diagnostics, but only 8% have a health-specific AI strategy and only 8% have standards defining liability when AI systems fail.
The Lisbon meeting is organised around three pillars: regulation and accountability, tools and infrastructure for safe deployment, and the people and institutions responsible for implementing AI in practice. Rather than promoting a single model, WHO is exploring how countries at different levels of digital development can adapt common governance principles to their own health systems.
Discussions cover legal accountability, ethics, data governance, interoperability, workforce preparation and responsible investment. Participants also stressed that effective AI governance will be essential to ensure AI narrows rather than widens inequalities between well-resourced and under-resourced health systems.
The conference also includes a meeting involving Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste. The session is intended to lay the foundations for cooperation on AI and health among Portuguese-speaking countries.
WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, said governments need a shared approach to governance, workforce training and equitable access. He warned that people are increasingly consulting generative AI chatbots about medical symptoms before speaking with healthcare professionals, highlighting the urgency of effective governance.
The conference opened with technical discussions on 13 and 14 July involving researchers, clinicians and international organisations. Ministerial sessions on 15 and 16 July are expected to translate those discussions into a practical agenda for international cooperation.
Why does it matter?
The conference reflects a growing recognition that healthcare is becoming one of the most important sectors for AI governance. As hospitals and health systems adopt AI more rapidly, governments are increasingly seeking common approaches to accountability, patient safety and regulatory oversight.
WHO’s findings also expose a widening governance gap: many countries are already deploying AI in clinical settings without dedicated strategies or clear liability frameworks. International cooperation could help countries develop compatible governance approaches while reducing inequalities in access to safe and trustworthy AI-enabled healthcare.
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