AI can aid faster, cost-effective diagnosis but clinical validation and data safeguards needed: experts

Artificial intelligence (AI) can improve disease detection, expand access to healthcare, and reduce diagnostic costs, but its adoption must be backed by clinical validation, data protection and human oversight, experts said in a panel discussion in Chennai on Tuesday (October 13, 2026).

The discussion on ‘Artificial Intelligence-Driven Healthcare: Innovation, Ethics, Accessibility and Sustainability’ was held as part of The Hindu’s Sustainability Dialogues 2026, presented by Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS). The panellists were Sindhuja Giritharan, Clinical Lead, Digital Health and Patient Engagement, Sundaram Medical Foundation; Richa Pant, Director, Research, Deep Tek; Reuben Fernandes, Founder & CEO, Skyfire Applied Intelligence Pvt. Limited (Atom360); and A. Hariharan, Associate Professor, Department of Transfusion Medicine, Saveetha Medical College, SIMATS.

Ms. Pant said medical imaging was among the areas where AI was making a significant difference, as digital images offered standardised data from which systems could learn patterns.

“What I have observed through my research is that AI is helping reach larger populations, particularly in areas where there is a severe shortage of radiologists and other specialists. For instance, in a study we conducted in six districts of Tamil Nadu, we saw first-hand how implementing AI in TB screening could help reach more people,” she said.

AI could also help hospitals prioritise critical cases rather than process scans strictly in the order in which they arrived, enabling patients requiring urgent attention to receive treatment faster, she added.