How AI could redefine healthcare by the end of the decade

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are set to help reshape the healthcare industry in the years ahead, a new report finds.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the largest group of technical professionals that’s dedicated to advancing technology to benefit humanity, released its Technology Megatrends 2030 Report on Wednesday after it was reviewed exclusively by FOX Business.

The report looked across five core areas, including AI, energy, health and biotech, space tech, and robotics and assessed the potential of each to reshape human life by 2030. The experts whose insights were used to compile the report ranked developments in health technology as having the largest potential impact on humanity.

Dejan Milojicic, IEEE fellow and chair of the IEEE Future Directions Committee Industry Advisory Board, told FOX Business that within the megatrends analyzed in the report, “health technologies emerge as among the most transformative and humanity-beneficial, driven by a fundamental shift from reactive treatment to proactive protection.”

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IEEE’s report identified several technological areas that can advance the healthcare industry, including personalized medicine; genetic engineering and gene therapy; accessible early disease diagnostics and biomarkers; molecular therapeutics; protein synthesis; and understanding life.

Of those six areas, IEEE graded personalized medicine, genetic engineering and gene therapy, and accessible early disease diagnostics and biomarkers the highest in terms of their impact, likelihood of success, maturity and adoption.

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Over the next five to 10 years, IEEE sees advances in health tech leading to impacts like the reduction of preventable chronic diseases, personalized clinical outcomes, improved food safety and increased access to high-quality, nutrient-dense foods.

“As populations age, using physical AI technologies, such as virtual nursing and intelligent monitoring, will become vital to supporting the needs of an expanding revitalized economy,” Milojicic said. “At the same time, we see food systems being reimagined as core healthcare infrastructure, using AI-enhanced tools like smart traceability to deliver personalized nutrition and curb chronic disease at scale.”

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IEEE identified several enablers for advancements in healthcare tech, including biotechnology, digital health, and things like agricultural drones and personalized nutrition.

Inhibitors to the impact of health technology advancements include privacy and security for data used for public health prevention through epidemiology and surveillance, as well as status quo culture.

“Our panel of experts is clear that none of this works without robust trust, privacy, and safety standards guiding how these technologies are built and deployed,” Milojicic said.