Season’s insights: AI use in health continues to expand from regulatory milestones and equity frameworks to new centres of excellence and frontline challenges. December 2025 has highlighted not just innovations but how adoption may unfold in practice.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration qualified the first artificial intelligence tool to assist in liver disease drug development, called AIM-NASH, which evaluates liver biopsy images to accelerate trial assessments. Qualification is expected to standardize scoring and help reduce time and costs in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) programs (FDA announcement).
The NAACP released a comprehensive report urging “equity-first” standards for healthcare AI to avoid algorithmic bias, calling for bias audits, transparency reports, governance councils, and community partnerships to prevent AI from exacerbating racial disparities in care (Reuters).
India’s Ministry of Education has launched the Translational AI for Networked Universal Healthcare (TANUH) Foundation at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), focused on AI tools for early detection and management of non-communicable diseases such as cancer, retinal conditions, diabetes, and mental health — integrating responsible AI with clinical partners (Times of India).
At the AI+ Summit in San Francisco, experts pointed to fragmented health systems and communication silos as obstacles to realizing AI’s full potential in healthcare. Governance complexities and varying state regulations continue to challenge broader, interoperable adoption (Axios).
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a national AI strategy aimed at integrating AI technologies throughout its divisions, promising increased efficiency, innovation support, and improved outcomes while underscoring the importance of data privacy and robust risk management (Associated Press).
Bottom line: December’s headlines show a shift from high-level discussion to real deployments and strategic frameworks. Equity and operational hurdles remain central as health systems seek scalable, safe, and inclusive AI solutions in 2026.
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