The Future of Medicine? Reflections from the Health.Tech conference on AI in healthcare
By Zoe Pearse
AI in healthcare is a field of study growing almost beyond comprehension. From basic uses in tracking personal health data on an Apple Watch to sophisticated diagnostic tools used in hospitals, we appear to be only scratching the surface of its capabilities.
To learn more about its predicted future, I chose to attend the Health.Tech Global Summit medical conference in Basel, Switzerland from the 3rd to the 5th of March 2026. The conference provided AI-related start-ups, seemingly straight out of a Sci-Fi film, a platform to show some of the most influential medical professionals across the globe what they can do and let medical professionals share their views on the need for these AI developments. It posed questions like: Can a robot show empathy? Can a robot make healthcare more accessible to the world? Can a robot help us stay healthier? Do we want it to?
Key themes covered in the conference
1. AI increasing the accessibility of care across the globe.
In 2022, 2,300,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer globally, leading to 670,000 deaths due to breast cancer that year. Of this alarming number, 500,000 occurred in low- and middle-income countries. This accounted for 75% of the deaths, not because of increased prevalence in these countries but because of later stage detection, leaving later, unsuccessful treatment as the only option. [1] Cancer Research UK, quotes that almost 100% of women will survive their breast cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis if detected in stage 1. This number deteriorates to approximately 25% if diagnosed at stage 4. [2]
The need for better, more accessible treatment methods is being targeted by N23 Heath, who have developed an early breast cancer detection ultrasound probe that uses AI to direct the user and then analyse the images taken. Their device is approximately 25% more affordable than mammography, the gold standard yet timely and costly method of breast cancer detection. [1] The device also gives health-workers who have not been trained as a radiologist the tools to work in screening programs.
Responding to concerns about accuracy, N23 Health state their AI-driven ultrasound probes have a 91% accuracy of distinguishing cancer from non-cancer compared to mammography, which has only an 81% accuracy. [1]
The low cost of diagnostic equipment and lower training time could increase the prevalence of screening clinics and capable healthcare workers. This means that accurate, early breast-cancer detection could be made accessible to those in low-income counties upon roll-out.
2. Machines showing emotions.
We know a smartphone that can recognise and respond appropriately to emotions like stress and sadness is no longer fiction. The talk “Artifical Empathy. When machines show emotions.” considered whether these reactions could eventually replace those of doctors. One of the biggest impacts on a patient in their doctor’s appointment is not what is said but how it was said. Whether a patient trusts what is coming out of a doctor’s mouth is one of the main determinants of whether they follow medical advice and if they go back when they’re sick again.
In this talk, the speaker suggests that people trusting what AI is saying is about getting used to its presence. It will come with time and will soon be accepted like any other robot. The clear flaw in this statement is that a doctor in the form of a robot must delicately deal with human emotions, which other robots do not have to.
This flaw is highlighted by a psychiatrist in the audience who makes an important distinction between the ability of AI to show emotion and the ability to show empathy. He emphasises that these are two very different concepts and while AI may show an appropriate emotional reaction for the context it is in, it has yet to demonstrate empathy. Perhaps this will be made possible with a hyper-realistic face of an AI robot, he says.
3. Use of health-data trackers.
In a recent survey, approximately 67% of UK adults regularly track at least one aspect of their health data. [3] Whether its exercise, weight, diet, heart-rate or sleep cycle, AI has made analysis of personalised health data more widely available. A panel discussion of healthcare professionals at the event considered whether, as a population, we are becoming healthier by being able to track and analyse our lives in this way or whether we are simply becoming unnecessarily obsessed with monitoring our health.
The panel was divided on the issue, with some saying that from personal experience they felt that by being more aware of their health data, they were able to adjust their lifestyle accordingly to live more healthily.
Others highlighted a critical flaw in the health-data being tracked. They said they have found that different tools, different AI platforms, and different areas of the body used for tracking all have a major influence on the accuracy of the data recorded. One piece of data to be notably inaccurate is the fitness age predictor function which is present on many fitness apps, which have concerningly low accuracy. The speakers suggested this to simply act as an “ego-booster”.
Future applications
As unbelievably futuristic as the conference was, the data doesn’t lie. It’s new but it’s happening. Though it’s still developing, AI clearly offers the potential to enhance patient care. Only time will determine the extent of its impact.
An important line I took from this conference was that AI will probably not replace doctors but doctors that use AI will likely replace those who do not.
As AI continues to evolve, the challenge for healthcare will not be whether to adopt it, but how to integrate it responsibly and effectively into patient care.
References
[1] “N23 Health,” 2025. Accessed March 6, 2026. https://n23.health/.
[2] “Survival for Breast Cancer.” Accessed March 6, 2026. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/breast-cancer/survival.
[3] “From Sex to Exercise, Here Are the Things That Brits Are Most Likely to Track Using Apps and Tech,” 2024. Accessed March 6, 2026. https://yougov.com/en-gb/articles/48998-what-brits-are-tracking-health-apps-2024.
