Seven ways AI is helping build a more inclusive global healthcare system

Discussions about AI in healthcare often revolve around automation, cost reduction, or efficiency. But there’s another powerful narrative taking shape, one focused on equity and inclusion. 

When applied thoughtfully, artificial intelligence is helping overcome long-standing language, cultural, and access barriers that prevent people from receiving the care they deserve. Whether in rural clinics or international healthcare summits, AI is gradually opening doors, one translation, one voice, one patient at a time. 

Here are seven key ways AI is making healthcare more inclusive for underserved and vulnerable populations. 

1. Breaking language barriers in real time 

Being in pain and unable to communicate with your healthcare provider is a reality faced by millions. AI is starting to change that experience. 

From telehealth platforms to mobile devices, more healthcare facilities are now integrating real-time translation powered by AI. These tools allow instant interpretation of both spoken and written language, enabling clear, immediate communication between patients and providers. 

Hospitals in the U.S. and U.K. have adopted AI translation tools to improve care delivery for refugee and migrant patients, making clinical interactions safer and more efficient. While the quality of these tools may still be far from optimal, they play a crucial role in bridging the gap for individuals with limited resources. By reducing the language barrier, AI-powered translations enable underserved populations to access essential healthcare services—something that would otherwise remain out of reach. In this context, the priority isn’t perfect accuracy, but rather inclusion and access. 

2. Expanding access through multilingual health apps 

Traditionally, digital health tools have focused on the world’s most spoken languages. Today, AI is making health information available in a broader range of voices. 

Take Ada Health, for example, an AI-based symptom checker that now supports languages like Swahili, Romanian, and Portuguese. These multilingual features allow users to access care guidance in a language they trust, particularly when discussing sensitive health concerns. 

This inclusive approach is essential in areas with limited healthcare access, where a mobile phone might be the only healthcare touchpoint. 

3. Making global health conversations more accessible 

Healthcare conferences, webinars, and global events are becoming more inclusive thanks to AI transcription and interpretation tools. 

Medical professionals can now engage in real-time discussions in their native language, expanding access to knowledge-sharing and allowing for broader, more diverse collaboration across countries and continents. 

AI is making it possible for more voices, regardless of language, to be heard in global healthcare forums. 

4. Providing confidential care with multilingual chatbots 

In countries where talking about topics like sexual health is taboo, AI offers a discreet alternative. 

In India, the nonprofit Myna Mahila uses an AI-powered chatbot to deliver accurate, confidential information to women seeking reproductive health advice. The chatbot interacts in regional languages and provides a safe, nonjudgmental space for users who might avoid in-person consultations. 

5. Supporting low-resource languages with scalable solutions 

Many communities speak languages that have been historically neglected by digital platforms. That’s changing with AI-led initiatives like India’s Bhashini or Switzerland’s MedSLT. 

These tools bring medical translation to dozens of languages, even dialects previously absent from the digital landscape. In countries such as Guatemala, Indonesia, and Kenya, similar technologies are being explored to support frontline healthcare workers and public health communication efforts. 

6. Enhancing mental health access through AI 

In 2025, researchers at Dartmouth College launched one of the first major public health trials of an AI-driven mental health chatbot, Therabot. The outcomes were striking: 

• 51% reduction in major depression symptoms 

• 31% decrease in generalized anxiety 

• 19% improvement in body image concerns 

Users reported forming meaningful connections with the chatbot, describing interactions that felt similar to in-person therapy. With high engagement and around-the-clock access, the chatbot served as a consistent emotional support tool. 

“I felt heard, not judged, and that made all the difference,” one participant said. 

Although AI should never replace human psychologists, especially in complex or crisis situations, it offers a valuable alternative for those who cannot afford proper treatment or who feel uneasy opening up to a stranger in traditional therapy. In this context, AI can democratise access to mental health support and reduce the stigma surrounding emotional vulnerability. 

7. Making healthcare more accessible for people with disabilities 

AI tools are also reshaping how people with impairments navigate healthcare systems. 

Voice-to-text and text-to-speech features, like those in Microsoft Seeing AI and Google Live Transcribe, help patients with visual, cognitive, or literacy challenges by: 

• Reading out medication names or instructions 

• Transcribing spoken words into readable formats 

• Making complex documents understandable, even without the ability to read 

This functionality is especially vital for elderly patients, rural communities, and displaced populations. 

Inclusion starts with intention 

When built with empathy and accountability, AI becomes more than a tool, it becomes a bridge. 

It connects people across divides, linguistic, cultural, and technological, and helps make healthcare not only more efficient, but more human. It empowers providers to communicate clearly and patients to feel seen and understood. 

At Novalins, we are committed to developing and promoting responsible AI solutions that support real people and real care. We combine smart automation with deep linguistic and medical expertise to help organizations communicate better, and more inclusively, across borders. 

Because everyone deserves healthcare that speaks their language.