WHO SEARO and Wadhwani AI partner to advance responsible AI use in public health

The World Health Organization’s South-East Asia Regional Office (WHO SEARO) has signed a two-year agreement with the Lords Education and Health Society (LEHS), through its Wadhwani AI programme, to support the responsible design, evaluation and use of artificial intelligence (AI) in India’s public health system.

The Project Collaboration Agreement, signed on 30 October 2026, aims to generate evidence on the application of AI in public health programmes, document implementation experiences and strengthen the capacity of health authorities and workforces to adopt AI responsibly.

The collaboration will focus on addressing issues including the safety and effectiveness of AI systems in real-world settings, governance, cost-effectiveness, privacy, equity and the protection of human rights.

Under the agreement, WHO SEARO and LEHS will develop technical briefs, case studies and evaluation reports examining the design, validation and deployment of AI solutions. These will assess factors such as operational feasibility, effectiveness and user adoption.

The partners will also document the conditions that enable or hinder the integration of AI into public health systems, including its adoption within government programmes, existing workflows and digital health platforms, where requested by the relevant authorities.

The work will draw on implementation experience across several healthcare applications, including diagnostics and screening, risk stratification, and disease tracking and modelling. It will cover the AI lifecycle, from identifying public health needs and developing solutions to validation, deployment, monitoring and evaluation.

Capacity-building materials and other knowledge resources will also be developed for public health programme managers and healthcare workers, with findings intended to inform India and other WHO Member States across the South-East Asia Region.

Wadhwani AI, a non-profit programme of LEHS, works with government bodies, academic institutions and other organisations to develop and implement AI solutions for public services, including healthcare. Its approach includes the development of resource-efficient models, referred to as “Small AI”, designed to reduce computational requirements and reliance on server and network infrastructure. This includes the use of offline models where appropriate, particularly in resource-constrained settings.

The agreement builds on WHO SEARO’s work to support digital health development and responsible AI adoption across the region. It will run for an initial period of two years, from 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2028.