Brazilian medical researchers and business leaders gathered in São Paulo on Monday to demand that universities include artificial intelligence in medical school training programs.
Speakers at the health seminar said artificial intelligence is an inevitable reality in modern healthcare that will reshape how medicine is studied and practiced across Brazil and internationally.
The conference, titled Disruptive Technologies: Transforming Scientific Research, Health and Future Industry, was organized by the Lide business group and hosted at the Casa Lide venue in São Paulo on Monday morning.
Dimas Covas, a physician, researcher, and former director of the Butantan Institute, told CNN Brasil that higher education institutions must integrate artificial intelligence into standard medical coursework rather than prohibiting its use.
Covas said students should be encouraged to use artificial intelligence from the start of their university training. He added that creating a culture of technology use from the ground up is essential because the adoption of artificial intelligence in medicine cannot be stopped.
Doctor Margareth Dalcolmo, a pulmonologist and researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, told panel attendees that artificial intelligence will not replace medical specialists.
Dalcolmo explained that technology will instead give doctors more time to focus on patient care and preventive measures. She said future medicine will rely on digital tools to allow researchers and physicians to spend more time understanding individual patients, evaluating personal context, and making sensitive, human decisions.
AI Medical Curricula in Brazil
Educational institutions in Brazil are already moving to incorporate artificial intelligence into their degree programs. Fernando Costa, a professor and president of Universidade Brasil, announced that the university will add a mandatory artificial intelligence course to its medical curriculum by the first semester of 2027.
Costa told reporters that the university will also launch undergraduate courses dedicated to artificial intelligence next year in partnership with data analytics firm X-VIA Inteligência de Dados, ensuring that medical students gain practical experience with digital tools in daily practice.
Preventive Health Tools and Telemedicine
Professor Carlos Carvalho, director of Digital Health at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo, noted that generative artificial intelligence systems such as ChatGPT and Gemini are currently popular for health guidance. However, Carvalho warned that existing systems lack comprehensive health databases and remain vulnerable to spreading false information.
Carvalho urged the medical sector to focus on developing preventive artificial intelligence tools that track individual health data from childhood into adulthood. By analyzing regional, state, and national health records, algorithms can extract predictive metrics that allow doctors to intervene before severe medical outcomes occur.
Carvalho added that genetic analysis could allow physicians to examine fundamental units of heredity alongside historical patient data, including childhood cases of bronchiolitis, premature birth, or environmental pollution exposure. He explained that identifying these risk factors early gives patients the knowledge and free will to manage potential health issues later in life.
Carvalho also highlighted the impact of telemedicine, referencing a connected obstetric intensive care project he led in 2020. The project linked medical devices in real time during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide continuous 24-hour monitoring for critically ill pregnant women.
According to Carvalho, the obstetric telemedicine system saved one out of every two patients treated. The initiative received formal approval in 2024 for integration into the Unified Health System, known as SUS, and is currently awaiting funding from the Ministry of Health for 2026 implementation.
Carvalho explained that algorithms require larger datasets to mature, noting that smaller countries with fully connected health systems are moving faster. He predicted that with adequate investment, similar monitoring networks could expand to cover patients with diabetes or chronic illnesses by 2030.
Under future expansion plans, patients will no longer need to visit clinics to measure blood pressure or oxygen levels. Carvalho said routine health data will be extracted at home using wearable devices such as smart rings, necklaces, watches, or temporary digital tattoos.
National Strategy and Infrastructure Requirements
Technology consultant Tânia Cosentino, the former president of Microsoft Brazil, argued that artificial intelligence must be treated as a priority state policy. Cosentino described artificial intelligence as a major engine for national development and productivity, noting that the healthcare sector offers immense opportunities for innovation.
Cosentino stated that realizing these benefits will require building data centers, training specialized talent, and developing domestic medical equipment, including electromagnetic and magnetic resonance machines. She added that Brazil must build robust supply chains for critical materials and radiopharmaceuticals to attract equipment manufacturers.
Cosentino noted that while Brazil currently hosts multiple artificial intelligence projects, most are limited to small pilot programs. She called for a national master plan to use artificial intelligence to boost productivity, eliminate waste, improve hospital management, reduce fraud, and accelerate the discovery of new enzymes, drugs, and materials. She emphasized that while AI models can be imported, the surrounding infrastructure and development should be built inside Brazil.
The health seminar brought together specialists to discuss scientific advancement and the practical application of artificial intelligence and robotics across the healthcare industry.
