That’s finally starting to change with very real applications of this technology taking off with results to boot. With the healthcare conference season upon us, we’re likely to see even more proof in the pudding, which will only help accelerate adoption and amplify success stories.
Especially with DeepSeek recently disrupting news cycles across all industries, it’s natural to wonder whether this will be the year that we see a true transformation of AI applications in healthcare – and more pertinent to our work as marketers, how it will inform meaningful storytelling.
Signs point to yes
Funding to advance AI in healthcare is taking off this year, following a record-breaking year in 2024, in which AI-related healthcare funding surpassed even the “peak global funding” year of 2021. In fact, Rock Health recently spotlighted AI growth in a newsletter. While healthcare has notoriously been slow in its AI adoption compared to other industries – heightened by the inherent risks associated with ties to patient care – it will be interesting to see how growth in this space progresses over the next year to keep pace with the explosion of AI use across other industries.
From potential to application
Conversations around AI in healthcare have largely been hypothetical, with some hesitation to lean in too deeply or get too technical. This follows typical trends around new innovation in healthcare. Given regulatory considerations and direct ties to patient care and safety, it’s long been considered an inherently risk-adverse sector.
The most prolific application to date is leveraging AI for scribing and note-taking – and with great success. Rollout of AI scribe capabilities is reducing documentation burnout and driving efficiencies for physicians, saving them administrative time each day that allows them to operate at the top of their license.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. As AI advancements are taking off, so is the media attention to this transformation. In fact, STAT recently launched a new weekly newsletter focused specifically on tracking the use of AI in science, medicine and health. The inaugural edition extensively outlined all the ways in which this technology is being harnessed for healthcare applications and what to keep an eye out for. Among them, some exciting standouts include:
- Models leveraging real world evidence to aid clinical trial recruitment in support for more diverse representation to drive health equity
- Predictive algorithms, both on the clinical and consumer-facing side, helping with early diagnosis and preventative intervention
- Informed clinical dashboards that can predict times of high volume and demand, enabling providers to right size and adjust in order to meet care needs
Opportunity abounds
The sky is the limit for how this technology can transform the healthcare industry. But like with anything, ensuring that it is applied thoughtfully will be critical, and there will surely be bumps in the road – such as class action lawsuits against insurers’ algorithm-based care denials, racial disparities in automated diagnoses, or lack of transparency when giving patients “medical advice” via AI-enabled patient portal messaging.
With this opportunity comes a massive moment for storytelling. Showcasing successes and failures (turned learnable moments) along the way is sure to determine who emerges as industry leaders and true pioneers in the space. It’s never been more critical to break out from the sea of sameness and hone your message, impact story and trajectory.
Ready to discuss how TEAM LEWIS can support your brand’s AI storytelling? Contact us today for expert advice on reaching healthcare audiences.
