Saudi Arabia pilots the world’s first AI-run clinic

How it works:

• A virtual AI doctor — named Dr. Hua — independently diagnoses and prescribes treatments based on patients’ symptoms description via a tablet computer;
• The AI-powered doctor asks follow-up questions and analyzes data like cardiograms and X-rays (taken with human assistance).
• The application suggests a treatment plan to a human doctor who reviews and signs off without seeing the patient, though human doctors are on standby for emergencies.

Sign of the times: “What AI has done in the past is to assist doctors, but now we are taking the final step of the journey to let AI diagnose and treat the patients directly,” Synyi AI CEO Zhang Shaodian told the business news service. While AI is widely used in Chinese online health consultations, it’s mostly offered in a supporting role. Meanwhile, tools supporting independent AI consultations, such as Medlinker’s MedGPT, are not yet commercially available.

What’s next? The ongoing trial has served a few dozen patients for free with a human doctor present. AI diagnostic data is being collected for Saudi authorities to review, hoping to obtain commercial approval within 18 months.

The pros: Synyi AI claims the technology can significantly cut healthcare costs in expensive markets like Saudi Arabia while also benefiting remote and underserved regions, potentially increasing efficiency tenfold with a pre-trial error rate of less than 0.3%.

.. and the cons: Some medical professionals doubt AI can fully replace human doctors in the near term. Ngiam Kee Yuan from Singapore’s National University Hospital expressed skepticism, telling Bloomberg that advanced AI doctors still can’t perform at a primary practitioner’s level.

About Synyi AI: Founded in 2016, Synyi AI received backing from investors like Tencent, Hongshan Capital, GGV Capital, and local government funds. The company collaborated with over 800 medical institutions in China for AI-driven data management, diagnostic assistance, and research.