Artificial intelligence is reshaping the economics of healthcare access. The unmet need is enormous: an estimated 4.5 billion people lack full coverage for essential health services, and McKinsey forecasts up to $360 billion in annual savings for global healthcare providers through AI adoption. The commercial question is straightforward. Can AI deliver diagnostics profitably to populations that traditional healthcare infrastructure has never been able to reach?
Evidence is converging on a qualified yes. The route is not wholesale replacement of existing systems but incremental integration, aligned with the proven economics of telehealth and the near-zero marginal cost of software at scale.