Artificial intelligence is entering a new phase. We are no longer talking about pilots or experiments: today, AI is redefining how hospitals, insurers, governments, and healthcare professionals make decisions, manage resources, and expand access to healthcare services. 

The conversation has moved beyond potential. It is now focused on results. 

According to the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, “AI is already playing a role in diagnosis, clinical care, drug development, epidemiological surveillance, and health systems management.” The question is no longer whether AI will transform the sector; it is whether health systems are prepared to leverage it responsibly. 

The Real Bottleneck: Legal and Regulatory Readiness

And the data show that readiness is the real bottleneck. A WHO survey conducted across 50 countries (2024–2025) revealed that 86% of countries identify legal uncertainty as their main barrier to adopting AI in healthcare, and that fewer than 10% have clear accountability standards for medical AI systems. 

Latin America and Colombia: Gaps and Opportunities in Digital Health 

In Latin America, the challenge is even greater. The region faces growing pressure on hospital infrastructure, unequal access to specialists, and high operating costs. And the digital divide further complicates the landscape. 

In Colombia, the study “AI: The Readiness Gap” by CINTEL, the Research and Development Center for Information and Communications Technologies, confirms this with compelling figures: although 45% of companies are willing to adopt new technologies, only 32% are actively using artificial intelligence. Moreover, organizations with greater technological integration are 4.5 times more likely to implement AI successfully. 

This opens an urgent conversation about equity. The World Economic Forum points out that the greatest opportunity for AI in healthcare lies precisely in emerging markets: the regions that currently face the greatest barriers to medical access are those that stand to gain the most when technology is built with their realities in mind. 

Unlocking the true potential of AI in healthcare requires more than digital tools; it requires systems that can communicate with one another and securely share information, responsible regulatory frameworks, and talent capable of integrating technology with clinical judgment. Digital trust thus becomes a strategic component, not an optional one: protecting patient information and ensuring the ethical use of algorithms will be critical to building smarter and more sustainable healthcare systems. 

These are precisely the challenges that ANDICOM 2026, Latin America’s leading technology and artificial intelligence congress, will bring to the forefront. Because the real impact of AI is not measured solely by business efficiency: it is measured by how it transforms entire sectors, improves lives, and defines the competitiveness of a region. Under the theme “Unleashing the Power of AI,” ANDICOM will bring together business leaders, technology experts, the public sector, and the digital ecosystem to explore how to unlock the true power of AI in addressing the major challenges facing our society. 

Is your organization ready for that conversation?