…global TCIM market projected to reach $600bn in 2025

By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – THE World Health Organization, WHO, International Telecommunication Union, ITU, and World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO, weekend, released a new technical brief, saying Artificial Intelligence to transform traditional medicine practice.

As contained in a statement issued by the organisations, a transformative era for traditional medicine with AI is here now, one where centuries-old healing systems are enhanced by cutting- edge technologies to deliver more safe, personalized, effective and accessible care.

This was made known in a statement issued by the organizations at the ‘AI for Good Global Summit’, where WHO, ITU, and WIPO released the brief, mapping the application of artificial intelligence in traditional medicine.

Launched under the Global Initiative on AI for Health, the brief offers a roadmap harnessing this potential responsibly while safeguarding cultural heritage and data soA new era for traditional medicine.

Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine, TCIM, is practiced in 170 countries and is used by billions of people.

The TCIM practices are increasingly popular globally, droaches that emphasize prevention, health promotion. The new brief showcases experiences in many countries using AI to unlock new frontiers in personalized care, drug discovery, and biodiversity conservation.

The Director of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, Seizo Onoe said, “Our Global Initiative on AI for Health aims to help all countries benefit from AI solutions and ensure that they are safe, effective, and ethical.

“This partnership of ITU, WHO and WIPO brings together the essential expertise.”

The WIPO Assistant Director- General, Edward Kwakwa explained that, “Intellectual property (IP) is an important tool to accelerate the integration of AI into traditional medicine.

“Our work at WIPO, including the recently adopted WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge, supports stakeholders in managing IP to deliver on policy priorities, including for Indigenous Peocommunities.”

Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Systems, said: “AI must not become a new frontier for exploitation.

“We must ensure that Indigenous Peoples and local communities are not only protected but are active partners in shaping the future.”

Meanwhile, in a global call to action, the global TCIM market projected to reach nearly US$600 billion in 2025, the application of AI could further accelerate the growth and impact of TCIM and holistic health care. Current utilization and potential of AI highlight many opportunities, but there are many areas of knowledge gaps and risks.

Part of the global call to action include; need to develop holistic frameworks tailored to TCIM in areas such as regulation, knowledge sharing, capacity building, data governance and the promotion of equity, to ensure the safe, ethical and evidence-based integration of frontier technologies.

The new technical brief calls on all stakeholders to:· Invest in inclusive AI ecosystems that respect cultural diversity and IDSov; Develop national policies and legal frameworks that explicitly address AI in traditional medicine; Build capacity and digital literacy among traditional medicine practitioners and communities.

Establish global standards for data quality, interoperability, and ethical AI use; and Safeguard traditional knowledge through AI-powered digital repositories and benefit-sharing models. By aligning the power of AI with the wisdom of traditional medicine, a new paradigm of care can emerge; one that honours the past, empowers the present, and shapes a healthier.

AI must not become a new frontier for exploitation,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Systems. “We must ensure that Indigenous Peoples and local communities are not only protected but are active partners in shaping the future
Data-driven innovation with ethical roots. The brief emphasizes the importance of good-quality, inclusive data and participatory design to ensure AI systems reflect the diversity and complexity of traditional medicine.

“TCIM, for example through the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library in India and the Virtual Health Library in the Americas, which use AI to preserve Indigenous knowledge, promote collaboration and prevent biopiracy. Biopiracy is a term for unauthorized extraction of biological resources and/or associated traditionating of spurious inventions based on such knowledge or resources without compensation.

“Intellectual property (IP) is an important tool to accelerate the integration of AI into traditional medicine,” said WIPO Assistant Director- General, Edward Kwakwa. “Our work at WIPO, including the recently adopted WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge, supports stakeholders in managing IP to deliver on policy priorities, including for Indigenous Peocommunities.”