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Navigating the risks of AI in healthcare: A focus on Africa
The Star
|January 27, 2026
LAST YEAR, Artificial Intelligence (AI) became a buzzword where most companies claimed to have some sort of AI capability.
THIS year AI companies have decided to focus on healthcare, says the author.
(AI Lab)
Experts remained concerned about the speed of innovation while society was still trying to develop safeguards around Als.
In 2026, I've noticed a new trend. AI companies have decided to focus on healthcare. Most of them used the World Economic Forum 2026 gathering as their platform to launch. The Gates Foundation and Open AI have announced the collaborative launch of Horizon 1000, a $50 million initiative designed to advance health care in Africa through Al.
Amazon through its One Medical division, launched an “agentic health AI assistant” that lives inside its primary care app where it can access members’ complete medical records. The assistant is designed to explain lab results, answer health questions, help decide what kind of care is appropriate and take concrete actions such as booking appointments or managing medication renewals.
This story is from the January 27, 2026 edition of The Star.
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