AI in Healthcare Highlighted at Chinese Medical Summit
Experts convened in Beijing over the weekend for the 2025 China Medical Development Conference, where the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and healthcare took center stage.
The two-day event, which has been held annually since 2021, brought together top voices from mathematics, AI, medicine, public health, and pharmacy to explore innovations, interdisciplinary collaboration, and policy directions aimed at advancing the medical sector in the age of AI, Xinhua reported.
Attendees highlighted AI’s transformative potential in reshaping medical research and the broader healthcare ecosystem, emphasizing its ability to enhance diagnostics, treatment precision, and healthcare management.
Phased Roadmap for AI Integration in Medicine
Wang Chen, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and president of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS), proposed a phased roadmap for integrating AI into medicine. Wang outlined three stages: the short term, which will focus on scenario-based pilot programs; the medium term, aiming at deeper applications and international collaboration; and the long term, striving to create an AI-driven ecosystem encompassing scientific research, clinical care, and healthcare management.
Biomedical AI Breakthroughs and Ethical Considerations
Zheng Hairong, vice president of Nanjing University, emphasized that breakthroughs in biomedical AI must be grounded in standardized data and ethical governance. He pointed to areas such as medical imaging and brain-computer interfaces, where cross-disciplinary collaboration will be essential to overcome technological hurdles.
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In recent years, China has ramped up its "AI Plus" initiative in healthcare. This initiative promotes standardized infrastructure, cross-institutional data sharing, and the development of AI models tailored to the medical industry to improve diagnostic precision and treatment efficiency.
Ensuring Safe and Responsible AI Deployment
Ensuring the safe and responsible deployment of AI technologies in healthcare was a recurring theme at the conference. Participants stressed the importance of creating a secure and well-regulated environment to foster public trust in AI-based healthcare solutions.
Shen Jianfeng, an official with the National Health Commission, called for the creation of high-quality medical datasets and AI language corpora. He also emphasized the need for stronger policy coordination across disciplines and increased investment in talent development, with particular attention to medical ethics.
Highlighting Medical Breakthroughs in China
A highlight of the conference was the release of the "Top Medical Advances in China 2024" by CAMS, a list of 13 breakthroughs selected from over 310,000 research projects. These advances were recognized as major steps forward in China’s disease prevention and treatment capabilities. Among the standout achievements were a method to diagnose Alzheimer's disease up to 18 years before symptoms appear and a gene therapy breakthrough for hereditary deafness.
