World Health Organization (WHO), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) have launched a report an application of artificial intelligence in traditional medicine.
The report is under the Global Initiative on AI for Health, which offers a roadmap harnessing this potential responsibly while safeguarding cultural heritage and data sovereignty.
WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Systems, Dr Yukiko Nakatani, in a press statement said the report which was launched at the just concluded AI for Good Global Summit, said AI must not become a new frontier for exploitation.
Dr Yukiko said 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.
Also, the Director of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, Seizo Onoe explained that their Global Initiative on AI for Health aims to help all countries benefit from AI solutions and ensure that they are safe, effective, and ethical
He said the partnership of ITU, WHO and WIPO brings together the essential expertise.
He further explained that data-driven innovation with ethical roots emphasizes the importance of good-quality, inclusive data and participatory design to ensure AI systems reflect the diversity and complexity of traditional medicine.
He said the 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.
Also, WIPO Assistant Director- General, Edward Kwakwa said the Intellectual property (IP) is an important tool to accelerate the integration of AI into traditional medicine.
He their work at WIPO, including the recently adopted WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge, supports stakeholders in managing IP to deliver on policy priorities, including for Indigenous Peoples as well as local communities.
According to the report, 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.
The report said that the current utilization and potential of AI highlight many opportunities, but there are many areas of knowledge gaps and risks.
Also ,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.