BANGALORE — Roy Jakobs, CEO of Philips, told the AI Impact Summit that artificial intelligence stands to transform healthcare by easing burdens on stretched systems and ultimately enhancing patient lives on a massive scale.

“When we look back a decade from now, AI in healthcare will not be remembered for what was optimised on a screen, but for the billions of lives it helped improve,” Jakobs said. He positioned healthcare as the field where AI could deliver the most profound human benefits, allowing doctors and nurses to reclaim time for reflection, connection and direct care.

AI’s role, according to Jakobs, centers on augmentation, not automation. Overburdened hospitals already see relief through tools that handle routine tasks, from image analysis to administrative workflows. Philips, a major player in medical technology, integrates such systems into devices like MRI scanners and patient monitors, speeding up diagnoses without sidelining professionals.

Alexander Wang, Meta’s Chief AI Officer, joined the discussion, pointing to AI’s rapid weave into daily routines. India, he noted, plays a key part in this evolution, with its vast talent pool and tech infrastructure driving global advancements. Meta envisions “personal superintelligence”—AI companions that grasp individual goals, interests and current tasks.

“Our vision is personal superintelligence, AI that knows you, your goals, your interests, and helps you with whatever you’re focused on doing,” Wang said. “It serves you, whoever you are, wherever you are.”

Wang stressed responsible rollout as non-negotiable. Personal AI systems will access intimate details, demanding ironclad trust. “People aren’t going to hire us for the job if we’re not doing it responsibly,” he said. “Trust, transparency and governance must move as fast as the models themselves.” Meta’s approach includes open-source models like Llama, which bolster transparency while accelerating innovation.

Martin Schroeter, Chairman and CEO of Kyndryl, brought a practical lens to the hype. Innovation surges ahead, he said, but organizations lag in preparation. “The innovation is real. The challenge is readiness,” Schroeter stated. AI lacks full industrialization today; companies need strong infrastructure, clean data pipelines, simplified operations and skilled workforces to deploy it at scale.

Kyndryl, which specializes in IT infrastructure services, helps firms bridge these gaps. Schroeter highlighted needs like secure data lakes and automated operations to handle AI’s compute demands. Without them, promised gains evaporate.

The summit underscored converging themes: AI’s potential to touch billions, especially in healthcare’s high-stakes arena. Examples range from predictive analytics for diseases like ALS—where AI sifts vast datasets to spot patterns early—to personalized treatment plans. Yet speakers agreed execution hinges on ethics and infrastructure.

India’s ecosystem amplifies these efforts. Bangalore, a global tech hub, hosts events like this summit, drawing executives who see the country as a launchpad for AI adoption. Philips expands manufacturing here, while Meta invests in local AI research.

Challenges persist. Regulatory hurdles vary by nation, data privacy laws tighten, and equitable access remains elusive in underserved regions. Still, leaders like Jakobs, Wang and Schroeter project optimism. AI, they argue, amplifies human capability, particularly where lives hang in the balance.

Jakobs wrapped his remarks with a call to focus on outcomes. Screens and efficiencies matter less than patients who walk out healthier. As AI scales, that vision draws closer.