Valletta, Malta, 19 November 2025
Distinguished ministers, colleagues and partners,
The world is standing at the edge of a quiet revolution, powered not by steam or silicon, but by data and algorithms.
I’d like you all to imagine a world – just 10 years from now – where a mother in a rural village can receive an instant diagnosis from her phone, powered by an AI that speaks her language and knows her medical history; where a nurse in a small clinic can access the same cutting-edge tools as leading hospitals in Paris or Stockholm; where every health worker – from community volunteer to specialist surgeon – has an AI assistant that never gets tired, never forgets and helps them focus on what really matters – the human being in front of them.
This is not science fiction; this world is within our reach – but only if we build it responsibly.
Now imagine instead a different future – one where AI divides rather than unites; where the best care goes to those who can afford the best data; where bias goes unchecked, misinformation spreads like wildfire and trust in science erodes.
These two imagined futures won’t be written by code, but by the choices we make today about AI governance, equity and ethics.
Technology alone will not decide our future – our values will.
The challenge before us is great.
Today, 4.5 billion people – half of the entire world – lack essential health coverage.
Two billion are impoverished by paying for health care.
And we face a projected global shortfall of up to 11 million health workers by 2030.
At the same time, we are on the cusp of an AI revolution in health care which holds the promise of addressing these challenges.
Across the European Region, AI is already diagnosing disease, predicting health risks and connecting patients to services that once seemed out of reach.
But the technology is moving faster than our ability to govern it.
And this affects both the application of those technologies, and people's trust in them.
The question before us is simple, but profound: will AI deepen inequality, or will it improve the health and well-being of all our citizens?
Our new report provides the first regional snapshot of AI readiness across 50 of our 53 Member States.
The findings are sobering:
- Only 4 out of 50 countries have a health-specific national AI strategy.
- Fewer than 1 in 4 provide AI training for health workers.
- Just 4 out of 50 have liability standards defining responsibility when AI fails.
- 86% (or 43 out of 50) Member States cite legal uncertainty as their top barrier to adoption, followed closely by financial constraints (78%; 39 out of 50).
These numbers tell a clear story: the AI revolution in health is already underway, but readiness, capacity and governance are uneven.
And yet, there are reasons for optimism:
- 64% (32 out of 50) of countries already use AI-assisted diagnostics, particularly in imaging.
- Half use AI chatbots to support patients.
- Nearly all – 98% (49 out of 50) – cite improving patient care as their top priority, and 92% (46 out of 50) see AI as key to reducing the burden on health workers.
For the people we serve, AI’s promise often contrasts sharply with their lived experience.
Health workers across the Region face burnout, administrative overload and staff shortages.
Policy-makers face rising expectations but limited resources.
Citizens face a crisis of trust: in data, institutions and sometimes in science itself.
And this is precisely where AI can make the greatest difference, but only with trusted legal safety nets and guided by values.
What values, you might ask?
This is where WHO comes in, with over 75 years of leadership in public health, guided by our values of ethics, solidarity and trust in science.
In this new era, WHO will help set the standards and ethical guardrails that protect people while enabling innovation; we will measure readiness and build capacity where it is needed; and we will serve as a neutral platform for collaboration – uniting governments, innovators and communities as we walk the road of AI and health together.
There are many inspiring examples across the vast European Region.
In Türkiye, AI in mammography screening improves accuracy and access for every woman aged 40–69, easing radiologists’ workload while safeguarding privacy.
In Slovakia, AI-powered radiotherapy planning cuts preparation time by half, freeing oncologists to focus on patients.
In Finland, next-generation data anonymization enables the secure use of real-world data for research while fully protecting privacy.
And in the United Kingdom, the National Health Service’s AI-driven stroke diagnostics have increased life-saving treatments by 280% and doubled recovery rates.
These examples prove that when governance is value-driven, AI empowers, not replaces health workers, enhances, not diminishes equity, and restores time for care and compassion.
When technology is guided by humanity, AI becomes not artificial intelligence, but amplified intelligence – in service of life and dignity.
Today, I call on health leaders and decision-makers to do four things:
First, we should govern AI with purpose. AI should be safe, ethical and aligned with human rights.
Second, we need to invest in people. Technology doesn’t heal patients, people do.
Third, we need to build trustworthy data ecosystems. Without public trust in data, innovation will fail.
Finally, we have no option but to collaborate across borders. AI knows no boundaries. Neither should our cooperation.
The European Region has a historic opportunity to lead the world – by setting the global standards for responsible AI underpinned by our shared values of freedom and fairness.
Friends,
AI will define health in this century, just as sanitation, vaccination and universal health coverage defined the last century.
The real test before us is not how fast AI advances, but how wisely humanity leads it.
The measure of success will be how much it improves our health and well-being.
As we write the story of AI and health together, let’s make sure humanity always holds the pen.
Thank you.