The Jameel Clinic, the epicenter of artificial intelligence in healthcare at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, recently hosted the first conference in Saudi Arabia to drive the use of AI in healthcare. The event marked the second edition of AI Cures MENASA, a one-day conference that aims to explore the integration of AI into healthcare with a focus on the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia region.
Hosted in Riyadh on Dec. 19, the conference was organized by the Jameel Clinic in partnership with Community Jameel, the Ministry of Health, SEHA Virtual Hospital, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology and King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center. Through a number of panel discussions, the convening highlighted the latest breakthroughs of AI-enabled health technologies and their transformative potential in reshaping the future of the healthcare sector.
In addition, the conference celebrated the Jameel Clinic’s fifth anniversary and brought together the combined expertise of researchers, specialists, some of the Kingdom’s hospital directors, and officials from the Ministry of Health to explore the latest advancements in the field of AI in healthcare, including medical diagnostics, treatment planning and patient care.
During the event, participants discussed the potential of AI in transforming the future of healthcare by delivering efficient solutions and treatments, especially as the need for more personalized and precise medicine has grown globally.
In alignment with the Jameel Clinic’s mission to democratize access to AI-driven healthcare solutions worldwide, the AI Cures MENASA conference served as a platform for the international expansion of the Jameel Clinic AI Hospital Network, an initiative launched in 2022 by the Jameel Clinic with support from Community Jameel and Wellcome.
The network is designed to build partnerships with hospitals globally to ensure new healthcare technologies are developed and deployed equitably across the world, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries.
Hassan Jameel, vice chairman of Community Jameel, said: “Since its establishment five years ago, the Jameel Clinic has made significant strides in the advancement of healthcare through artificial intelligence. The Jameel Clinic’s AI Cures initiative aims to translate these incredible achievements into everyday standard care for patients. The AI Cures MENASA conference, the Kingdom’s first AI and health conference, will work to partner with hospitals here to introduce groundbreaking tools powered by AI, which will transform the healthcare landscape in the country, in line with the aims of Vision 2030.”
Ignacio Fuentes Ribas, executive director at the MIT Jameel Clinic, said: “We are delighted to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Jameel Clinic and host this one-of-a-kind conference and for the first time in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, alongside esteemed scientists, decision-makers, public health pioneers, and leading industry figures. The groundbreaking endeavors led by the Jameel Clinic in the past five years now stand at the forefront of the healthcare revolution. We are excited to see the Jameel Clinic AI Hospital Network extend its reach throughout the MENASA region, deploying clinical AI tools worldwide. This initiative not only showcases the transformative potential of AI in medicine but also underscores our commitment to reducing healthcare disparities on a global scale.”
Co-founded by MIT and Community Jameel in 2018, the Jameel Clinic developed several groundbreaking AI tools using deep learning techniques. Most recently, the clinic deployed the pioneering AI tools, Mirai and Sybil. Mirai can assess breast cancer risk up to five years earlier, and more accurately, than current state-of-the-art screening techniques. Sybil is capable of assessing lung cancer risk up to six years in advance, with near-perfect accuracy for patients who are one year away from developing lung cancer.
