Survey concludes that, despite still nascent use, there is optimism about AI in Brazil's healthcare sector

Released this Wednesday (3), study by Cetic.br presents unprecedented mapping of the main issues on the current agenda of Artificial Intelligence applied to the area in the country; SUS is pointed out as the great Brazilian differential

Brazil is in an initial stage of development and implementation of artificial intelligence tools in healthcare. This conclusion is from the study "Artificial Intelligence in healthcare: qualitative diagnosis of the Brazilian scenario", released this Wednesday (4) by the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br). With the aim of recognizing the main issues on the current agenda of AI applied to the area in the country, the survey, conducted by the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br/NIC.br), made an unprecedented mapping of emerging ideas, concerns, and expectations about the topic.

From an exploratory approach, opportunities, risks, and challenges for utilizing the potential of this technology in the sector were investigated. To this end, the study interviewed managers and experts from academia and research centers, the public sector, companies, and health establishments (public and private), as well as health professionals who use these technologies in patient care.

The study also collected information on ongoing initiatives and practices in different health segments, and opinions on data management, information security, ethics, regulation, and other relevant themes for this discussion.

“We identified that there is an intense debate about AI in the healthcare field in Brazil, and that the ecosystem enjoys significant optimism regarding the potential benefits of this technology,” summarizes Graziela Castello, coordinator of sectoral studies at Cetic.br and research leader.

The main advances cited by interviewees include the use of AI to improve medical assistance processes and management, with an emphasis on increasing efficiency and reducing costs. “Despite the enthusiasm, the general understanding is that the country is only in the early stages of this journey,” she adds.

Opportunities
Regarding the potential of AI, interviewees highlighted three main axes of opportunities: improvements for patients, healthcare professionals, and service providers.

For patients, artificial intelligence can increase access to healthcare services and improve diagnostic accuracy. For healthcare professionals, this technology can reduce bureaucratic processes, optimize time spent on administrative tasks, and offer support in clinical decision-making, promoting faster and more accurate diagnoses, as well as increasing the capacity for care in regions with a shortage of specialists.

Regarding healthcare service providers, AI tools can bring, both in the public and private sectors, operational efficiency, resource optimization, and improvements in management, logistics, and service processes.

“AI is perceived as a tool capable of promoting significant improvements in various aspects of healthcare in Brazil, from operational management to clinical care, with benefits for both professionals in the area and for patients and society as a whole,” comments the coordinator.

According to the survey, this potential can also serve to address inequalities in healthcare provision, “increasing access to services and reducing the impact of resource scarcity in more disadvantaged regions of the country.”

SUS
The Unified Health System (SUS) was pointed out as Brazil’s great differential in obtaining data, thanks to its sufficient volume and diversity for developing robust and reliable algorithms and applications.

“The perception that there is great potential for using AI in the Brazilian public health system is very strong thanks to SUS and its national database. The data collected by SUS are of enormous value, considering the system's outreach and scale, and the diversity of the Brazilian population. They represent an important step towards data integration if handled and prepared for this purpose,” reinforces the survey.

Interviewees also assessed that the National Health Data Network (RNDS), a health interoperability platform by the federal government, has great potential to promote information exchange and create a conducive environment for AI development and application in the sector. The fundamental condition for this to happen, according to the stakeholders heard, is that the data must be of quality, not just in large volume, which implies the importance of protocols and routines that ensure, among other elements, the standardization of health information.

Challenges
Among the challenges pointed out by the interviewees are: the lack of a well-organized and centralized national strategy to encourage AI in healthcare, regulatory issues, and deficiencies in the quality and integration of data, which are the main input for AI technologies.

The evolution of AI in Brazilian healthcare is perceived as unequal, with the private sector leading the movement, while the public sector deals more with internal processes and faces resource scarcity.

The main gaps identified are related to data quality and the lack of specific regulation. In the evaluation of the groups heard by the survey, overcoming these barriers is fundamental for the advancement of AI applied to healthcare in Brazil.

Risks
Among the concerns presented regarding the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare, one highlighted issue in the survey was the privacy and security of patient data. Interviewees pointed out the risk of sensitive information leaks, considering the possibility of inappropriate application of the data used or generated by AI tools.

Meanwhile, the discussion about users' rights in healthcare systems presented limitations, emphasizing the need for digital education to promote an understanding of the technology's benefits.

“To mitigate the potential risks of AI advancement in healthcare, there must be transparency in the decisions that underpin the construction of the tools, a clear governance structure for risk assessment, and the development of bias-free algorithms to produce reliable results, according to the interviewees,” the study highlights.

Ongoing Practices
The study also investigated AI practices and uses in Health that are already underway in the four segments analyzed: academia, health equipment, public sector, and market. The aim was to present a broad overview of the current Brazilian scenario regarding the application of this technology in the sector.

In general, the initiatives aim to optimize management processes and improve quality of care. Each sphere has its specific focuses: in academia, the development of algorithms with an emphasis on Brazil's population diversity and correction of algorithmic biases is highlighted, as they can have harmful social implications. In the market, there is a focus on generative AI to create various products, such as patient service chatbots, as well as tools to optimize image diagnostics. In the public sector, data digitization and interoperability are at the core. In health equipment, there is an emphasis on various projects for diagnostic assistance and management.

“The observed similarities and divergences among the initiatives illustrate the potential of the tools and the difficulties in development and implementation,” analyzes Graziela Castello.

The study “Artificial Intelligence in healthcare: qualitative diagnosis of the Brazilian scenario” was conducted by Cetic.br, in partnership with the Brazilian Center for Analysis and Planning (Cebrap). It is part of the publication “Artificial Intelligence in healthcare: potentialities, risks, and perspectives for Brazil,” presented at the 1st Seminar of the Brazilian Observatory of Artificial Intelligence (OBIA). The event was held by NIC.br and CGI.br this Wednesday (4).

To check the full publication, access: https://cetic.br/pt/publicacao/inteligencia-artificial-na-saude-potencialidades-riscos-e-perspectivas-para-o-brasil/.

About Cetic.br
The Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br), of NIC.br, is responsible for producing indicators and statistics on Internet access and use in Brazil, providing periodic analyses and information on the network's development in the Country. Cetic.br|NIC.br is also a Regional Center for Studies under the auspices of UNESCO and completes 19 years of operation in 2024. More information at https://cetic.br/.

About the Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br
The Brazilian Network Information Center — NIC.br (https://nic.br/) is a private non-profit civil entity, responsible for the operation of the .br domain, as well as the distribution of IP numbers and registration of Autonomous Systems in the country. Since 2005, NIC.br implements the decisions and projects of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br), and all resources collected come from activities that are predominantly private in nature. It conducts actions and projects that bring benefits to the Internet infrastructure in Brazil. NIC.br includes: Registro.br (https://registro.br/), CERT.br (https://cert.br/), Ceptro.br (https://ceptro.br/), Cetic.br (https://cetic.br/), IX.br (https://ix.br/) and Ceweb.br (https://ceweb.br/), in addition to projects like Internetsegura.br (https://internetsegura.br/) and the Portal de Boas Práticas para Internet no Brasil (https://bcp.nic.br/). It also hosts the W3C Chapter São Paulo office (https://w3c.br/).

About the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee – CGI.br
The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee is responsible for setting strategic guidelines related to the use and development of the Internet in Brazil, coordinating and integrating all Internet service initiatives in the country, promoting technical quality, innovation, and dissemination of offered services. Based on the principles of multilateralism and transparency, CGI.br represents a democratically lauded Internet governance model internationally, where all sectors of society participate equitably in its decisions. One of its formulations is the 10 Principles for Internet Governance and Use (https://cgi.br/resolucoes/documento/2009/003). More information at https://cgi.br/.

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