Rwanda will test artificial intelligence-powered technology in more than 50 health clinics as part of a new initiative led by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and OpenAI, the Associated Press reported.
The project, which aims to support 1,000 clinics across Africa, was launched by the Gates Foundation and OpenAI as Horizons1000, with joint funding of $50 million over two years, according to the Associated Press.
Rwanda’s Ministry of Health senior official Andrew Muhire told the AP that the technology is intended to strengthen rather than replace clinical judgment. He said it is designed to improve efficiency within an already stretched health system.
Muhire also described the effort as a “transformative opportunity” meant to improve citizens’ access to health care, while “reduce administrative burden” and help medical professionals make “more accurate and timely decisions,” the AP reported.
The AP said Rwanda currently has one health care worker for 1,000 patients, far from a globally recommended ratio of 4:1,000.
In connection with the Horizons1000 launch, Bill Gates said the initiative will help close the health inequality gap. In a blog post on the launch, Gates wrote that in poorer countries with enormous health worker shortages and a lack of health systems infrastructure, “AI can be a game changer in expanding access to quality care,” the AP reported.
The AP also reported concern among digital experts about whether the technology would rely on English. It noted that English is not widely spoken in Rwanda and said efforts are underway to develop AI technologies in Kinyarwanda, the language spoken by about 75% of the population, according to Digital Umuganda CEO Audace Niyonkuru.
Niyonkuru told the AP that deploying AI technologies that do not operate in Kinyarwanda would pose a serious barrier to effective care.