Hospital da Luz, Deloitte and Google Cloud have established a strategic collaboration for the development, along the next three years, of innovating projects resorting to artificial intelligence (AI), with particular emphasis on generative AI, viewing to transform Health in a more efficient ecosystem for companies, more effective for clinical professionals and progressively more focused on the patient and his needs . The teams of the three institutions are already defining priority areas, so as to identify cases of high impact use. This collaboration will explore opportunities to apply generative AI in different domains of health, namely: Improvement of the experience of patients and professionals , through innovating solutions centred on care individualization and health journey optimization; Promotion of efficiency in clinical and organizational processes , with a focus on complexity reduction, responsiveness increase, and liberation of time for other tasks of higher value; Valorization of clinical information through new approaches of interpretation and application of data with more efficacy and safety; Promotion of innovation in healthcare , with initiatives combining clinical knowledge, data, and technology to test new models of healthcare providing. The increase of the disease load in a population increasingly older, the raise in costs, the scarcity of professional resources and the inequalities of access to health make this digitalization challenge more urgent and compulsory, and the resort to emergent AI-based technologies inevitable. The digitalization of health is today already a reality experienced daily by companies in the sector, clinical professionals, and patients, which resort increasingly to machine learning and data predictive analytics, precision medicine, and automated assistance and care providing platforms and tools. In this more digital “new world”, but also more patient-centred, the healthcare provider intervention evolves to the same extent that the experience of the client / patient improves, envisioning a fast and radical transformation of the sector – a change of paradigm that requires strategic alignment, robust processes of implementation and continuous innovation. “A more intelligent, humane and personalized health” Hospital da Luz, Deloitte and Google Cloud thus envision to be at the forefront of the process, joining efforts and working together to be active players in this transformation, which is already redefining the way healthcare is provided, managed, and experienced. “This collaboration reflects the vision of Hospital da Luz for health in the future – a more intelligent, humane and personalized health, where technology is a strategic ally for our professionals and our patients”, declares Isabel Vaz, the Luz Saúde CEO. “Deloitte has contributed to accelerate digital transformation in the health industry, supporting organizations at global level with the implementation of advanced technologies, such as AI, and contributing for a more intelligent and effective health system”, points out, on its turn, Carlos Cruz, Deloitte partner and leader in the sector of Life Sciences & Health Care. “Portugal has the unique opportunity to position itself at the forefront of innovation in health through AI. Together with Hospital da Luz and Deloitte, we are committed to develop and implement AI solutions that not only respond to the present challenges of the sector in Portugal but also can create the future of healthcare – more predictive, personalized and accessible to all”, highlights Sofia Marta, Country Manager of Google Cloud. A few relevant data The adoption of AI by companies in Portugal still has a lot to grow. According to a study conducted by Implement Consulting Group in partnership with Google ( Google Portugal Blog: A oportunidade da IA: o caminho de Portugal para o crescimento económico ), only 8% of companies in Portugal resorted to AI solutions in 2023. The small and medium enterprises (SME) are particularly slow in the adoption of this transforming technology: while 35% of big companies in Portugal implemented AI this last year, only 7% of SMEs did so. The same report reveals that generative AI, per se, can raise Portugal’s GNP in 18-22 billion euros over the next decade, contributing to an 8% annual growth of the country’s economic production. These previsions are aligned with the EU estimates, which predict generative AI to add between €1.2-1.4 trillion euros to the EU GNP in 10 years, reflecting a similar annual growth rate. However, there are indications that Portugal may already be five years behind in the adoption of generative AI, which can significantly reduce the potential benefit of 8% to merely 2% in GNP annual growth.
