Thailand Aims to Become Regional Leader in Medical AI

The Thai government plans to exploit the country’s medical data, accelerate clinical trials, and attract international investments to become a leader in medical AI. The government aims to develop models of AI adapted to Southeast Asian populations, whose demographic and medical characteristics are not well represented by existing systems. Thailand has a wealth of medical data, including 50 years of imaging data from its university hospitals, which could be analyzed by AI systems to better understand cancer development and contribute to personalized treatment development.

The government has identified seven national missions in medical AI, including genomics, cancer detection, drug discovery, neurotechnologies, and intelligent clinical assistants. The country is also home to 44 Thai companies specializing in medical AI, which are being supported by a national program to help them access international markets and conduct clinical trials.