By Abdullah Boulad, Founder & CEO of The Balance Rehab Clinic
Artificial Intelligence is poised to revolutionise healthcare, and I firmly believe this is a change we should embrace. As the founder of The Balance Rehab Clinic, I’ve witnessed firsthand the cracks in our global healthcare system: overworked professionals, endless waiting lists and a one-size-fits-all model that often fails to address individual needs. These limitations rob patients of time, access and truly personalised care, the three pillars of quality healthcare. AI, when guided thoughtfully, offers a powerful solution to these challenges, promising a future where healthcare is more efficient, equitable and human.
Healthcare systems worldwide are buckling under pressure. Doctors and therapists are stretched thin, with many patients waiting months for appointments. The model remains outdated, relying heavily on generalised protocols and medication rather than tailored interventions. Specialists operate in silos, rarely collaborating to address the holistic needs of patients. The result is care that feels impersonal, reactive and often inaccessible, especially for those in underserved regions or facing financial barriers. We simply don’t have enough clinicians to meet global demand. AI can bridge this gap, not by replacing humans, but by amplifying their impact.
Today, AI in healthcare operates as a sophisticated tool, processing inputs like blood tests or symptom descriptions to deliver insights and recommendations. It streamlines administrative tasks: scheduling appointments, managing intake forms and powering symptom checkers. But this is just the beginning. Over the next five to ten years, AI will evolve from a helpful assistant to a central pillar of healthcare, embedded in our daily lives through wearable devices like smartwatches or rings, and eventually, internal technologies like biochips.
Imagine a wristband that monitors your stress levels, sleep quality, and nutrient profile in real time, linking to an app that offers immediate, actionable advice. Elevated stress might prompt a breathing exercise, while a blood sugar spike could lead to a recommended dietary tweak. This isn’t science fiction; it’s the near future. Within decades, we may see AI integrated into our bodies, analysing our biochemistry and environment to optimise health moment by moment. For individuals with chronic conditions, neurological trauma or mobility impairments, these advancements could be transformative, unlocking new ways to interact with the world.
AI’s potential to address healthcare’s core challenges is immense. It saves time by automating routine tasks like symptom evaluation and lifestyle-based interventions, freeing clinicians to focus on complex cases. A broken leg still requires a hospital visit, but early detection and preventative care can happen in your pocket, reducing strain on overburdened systems. AI also expands access, providing early support, education and triage for those in remote or underserved regions, or those unable to afford private care, thus democratising wellness and ensuring quality care isn’t reserved for the privileged few. Additionally, AI delivers individualised care by designing treatment plans based on your genetic footprint, biochemistry and lived environment. From Star Trek style body scans to real time biofeedback, AI will craft therapeutic protocols tailored to your specific needs, revolutionising physical, mental and emotional health, especially for rare or complex conditions.
Critics warn that AI risks dehumanising healthcare, replacing compassionate clinicians with cold algorithms. I argue the opposite. By offloading repetitive tasks, AI allows doctors and therapists to spend more time connecting with patients, fostering the human relationships that lie at the heart of healing. Far from stripping away empathy, AI can enhance it, enabling clinicians to focus on what they do best: listening, understanding and guiding.
No transformation comes without risks, particularly in mental healthcare. For vulnerable individuals, those experiencing isolation, severe mental illness, eating disorders or neurodivergence, AI poses unique challenges. For people with disordered eating patterns, the risk is especially acute: AI-driven tools can unintentionally normalise harmful behaviours, amplify body-image distortions or provide unhealthy “tips” that reinforce the disorder under the guise of wellness advice. Overreliance on AI companions could deepen disconnection, replacing human interaction with artificial substitutes.
AI systems, trained on the data they’re given, may inadvertently reinforce cognitive distortions or emotional biases, creating echo chambers without the nuanced pushback a trained therapist provides. For individuals with conditions like psychosis, paranoia or hypochondria, unsupervised AI interactions could exacerbate distress, misinterpreting responses or fuelling spirals of anxiety. These risks demand careful regulation, prioritising privacy, ethical AI training and robust clinical oversight to ensure AI supports, rather than supplants, human care. For the majority of users, AI can offer valuable guidance between sessions or promote self-regulation, but for high-risk groups, human intervention remains irreplaceable.
The question isn’t whether AI will transform healthcare; it already is. The question is how we guide its evolution. We must regulate thoughtfully, ensuring privacy and ethical standards without stifling innovation. AI isn’t a threat; it’s an opportunity to reimagine healthcare as proactive, accessible and deeply personal.
In the long run, AI will solve many of healthcare’s systemic problems, but it will never replicate the human touch. As technology advances, the value of authentic human connection will only grow. People will crave real experiences: the difference between watching a documentary about the African savannah and standing amid its wild beauty, hearing the animals breathe and hunt. AI can do extraordinary things, but empathy isn’t one of them. In a world increasingly shaped by machines, our humanity, our ability to connect, understand and care, will matter most.
At The Balance, we believe in harnessing AI to empower patients and clinicians alike, while never losing sight of the human heart at the core of healing. The future of healthcare is bright, but it’s up to us to ensure it remains profoundly human.
