TLDR: The World Health Organization (WHO), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) have jointly released a new technical brief, ‘Mapping the application of artificial intelligence in traditional medicine,’ at the AI for Good Global Summit. The report highlights AI’s potential to revolutionize traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCIM) by enhancing personalized care, drug discovery, and biodiversity conservation, while emphasizing the critical need for ethical integration, data sovereignty, and community empowerment.
Geneva, Switzerland – A new era for traditional medicine is dawning, propelled by the transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI). At the recent AI for Good Global Summit, the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) unveiled a groundbreaking technical brief titled ‘Mapping the application of artificial intelligence in traditional medicine.’ This report, launched under the Global Initiative on AI for Health, provides a comprehensive roadmap for harnessing AI’s potential responsibly, ensuring the safeguarding of cultural heritage and data sovereignty.
Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) is a cornerstone of healthcare in 170 countries, utilized by billions worldwide. Its global popularity is surging, driven by a growing interest in holistic health approaches that prioritize prevention, health promotion, and rehabilitation. The new brief showcases diverse global experiences where AI is unlocking new frontiers in healthcare. Examples include AI-powered diagnostics in Ayurgenomics in India, machine learning models identifying medicinal plants in countries like Ghana and South Africa, and the application of AI to analyze traditional medicine compounds for treating blood disorders in the Republic of Korea. With the global TCIM market projected to reach nearly US$600 billion in 2025, the integration of AI is poised to significantly accelerate its growth and impact.
However, the report strongly emphasizes that this innovation must be ethical, inclusive, and community-led. Critical issues such as biopiracy, data ownership, and the principle of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) are at the forefront. The brief highlights successful community-led data governance models from Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, and urges governments to enact legislation that empowers Indigenous Peoples to control and benefit from their data. Dr. Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Systems, underscored this imperative, stating, ‘AI must not become a new frontier for exploitation.’ The report also cites India’s Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL), which leverages AI to digitize Indigenous formulations and prevent unauthorized patents.
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The document calls for urgent action to develop holistic frameworks tailored to TCIM, addressing areas such as regulation, knowledge sharing, capacity building, data governance, and the promotion of equity. Key calls to action include investing in AI ecosystems that reflect cultural diversity, strengthening legal frameworks to govern AI’s role in traditional medicine, empowering traditional medicine practitioners through AI training, creating interoperable global standards for ethical data usage, and employing AI to safeguard traditional knowledge while ensuring benefit-sharing for local communities. The overarching goal of the Global Initiative on AI for Health is to ensure that all countries can benefit from AI solutions that are safe, effective, and ethical, bridging knowledge gaps and mitigating risks in this rapidly evolving landscape.
