Sodiq Ojuroungbe
Ahead of World Health Day, the World Health Organisation has announced the deployment of S.A.R.A.H., a digital health promoter prototype equipped with empathetic response capabilities driven by generative artificial intelligence.
In a statement on Tuesday, the WHO said S.A.R.A.H., shorthand for Smart AI Resource Assistant for Health, marks an advancement in AI-powered health information avatars, leveraging language models and technology.
WHO explained that the digital health promoter offers engagement on health subjects around the clock in eight languages across various devices.
It added that the WHO’s digital health advocate is designed to furnish information spanning health domains, including lifestyle practices and mental well-being, and aiding individuals in optimizing their health journeys.
The statement further read, “S.A.R.A.H., also known as Sarah, can support people in developing a better understanding of risk factors for some of the leading causes of death in the world, including cancer, heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes.
“She can help people access up-to-date information on quitting tobacco, being active, eating a healthy diet, and de-stressing among other things.”
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, stated that the future of health is digital and supporting countries to harness the power of digital technologies for health is a priority for the global health organisation.
He added, “S.A.R.A.H. gives us a glimpse of how artificial intelligence could be used in future to improve access to health information in a more interactive way. I call on the research community to help us continue to explore how this technology could narrow inequities and help people access up-to-date, reliable health information.”
“S.A.R.A.H. is now powered by generative AI rather than a pre-set algorithm or script helping her to provide more accurate responses in real-time; engage in dynamic personalized conversations at a scale that more accurately mirror human interactions and provide nuanced, empathetic responses to users in a judgment-free environment. The technology is supported by Soul Machines Biological AI.”
He, however, called for continued research on this new technology to explore potential benefits to public health and to better understand the challenges.
“While AI has enormous potential to strengthen public health it also raises important ethical concerns, including equitable access, privacy, safety and accuracy, data protection, and bias.
“Continuous evaluation and refinement as part of this project emphasize WHO’s dedication to bringing health information closer to people while maintaining the highest standards of ethics and evidence-based content.
“Developers, policymakers, and health care providers need to address these ethics and human rights issues when developing and deploying AI to ensure that all people can benefit from it.
“The S.A.R.A.H. project strives for continuous learning and development of a prototype that can inspire reliable, responsible, and accessible information.
“Previous iterations of S.A.R.A.H. were used to disseminate critical public health messages, under the name Florence, during the COVID-19 pandemic on the virus, vaccines, tobacco use, healthy eating, and physical activity.
“WHO continues to use many digital tools and channels to disseminate and amplify health information including social media, chatbots, channels, and text messaging,” Ghebreyesus stated.
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