Geneva [Switzerland], July 12: Artificial intelligence (AI) is ushering in a transformative era for traditional medicine, one where centuries-old healing systems are enhanced by cutting-edge technologies to deliver more safe, personalised, effective, and accessible care.
At the AI for Good Global Summit, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) released a new technical brief, Mapping the application of artificial intelligence in traditional medicine. Launched under the Global Initiative on AI for Health, this brief offers a roadmap harnessing this potential responsibly while safeguarding cultural heritage and data sovereignty.
Traditional, complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM) is practiced in 170 countries and is used by billions of people. The TCIM practices are increasingly popular globally, driven by a growing interest in holistic health approaches that emphasise prevention, health promotion and rehabilitation.
The new brief showcases experiences in many countries using AI to unlock new frontiers in personalised care, drug discovery, and biodiversity conservation. It includes examples such as how AI-powered diagnostics are being used in Ayurgenomics; machine learning models identifying medicinal plants in countries including Ghana and South Africa; and the use of AI to analyse traditional medicine compounds to treat blood disorders in the Republic of Korea.
"Our Global Initiative on AI for Health aims to help all countries benefit from AI solutions and ensure that they are safe, effective, and ethical," said Seizo Onoe, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Standardisation Bureau. "This partnership of ITU, WHO and WIPO brings together the essential expertise."
The brief emphasises the importance of good-quality, inclusive data and participatory design to ensure AI systems reflect the diversity and complexity of traditional medicine. AI applications can support strengthening the evidence and research base for TCIM, for example through the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library in India and the Virtual Health Library in the Americas, which use AI to preserve Indigenous knowledge, promote collaboration and prevent biopiracy. Biopiracy is a term for unauthorised extraction of biological resources and/or associated traditional knowledge from developing countries or the patenting of spurious inventions based on such knowledge or resources without compensation.
"Intellectual property is an important tool to accelerate the integration of AI into traditional medicine," said WIPO Assistant Director- General, Edward Kwakwa. "Our work at WIPO, including the recently adopted WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge, supports stakeholders manage IP to deliver on policy priorities including for Indigenous Peoples as well as local communities."
The new document calls for urgent action to uphold Indigenous Data Sovereignty (IDSov) and ensure that AI development is guided by free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) principles. It showcases community-led data governance models from Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, and urges governments to adopt legislation that empowers Indigenous Peoples to control and benefit from their data.
"AI must not become a new frontier for exploitation," said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Systems. "We must ensure that Indigenous Peoples and local communities are not only protected but are active partners in shaping the future of AI in traditional medicine."
With the global TCIM market projected to reach nearly US$600 billion in 2025, the application of AI could further accelerate the growth and impact of TCIM and holistic health care. Current utilisation and potential of AI highlight many opportunities, but there are many areas of knowledge gaps and risks.
There is a need to develop holistic frameworks tailored to TCIM in areas such as regulation, knowledge sharing, capacity building, data governance and the promotion of equity, to ensure the safe, ethical and evidence-based integration of frontier technologies such as AI into the TCIM landscape.
Source: Emirates News Agency
