AI, Patients, Prediction and the Foothills of the Singularity

AI, Patients, Prediction and the Foothills of the Singularity

In this Hot Topics episode, Louise joins from London after an unexpected encounter with the UK healthcare system, while George reports back from the Digital Health Festival. The pair discuss New Zealand's $450 million digital health and cyber investment, a major new King's College London study showing one in seven people are already using AI instead of seeing a doctor, Demis Hassabis' bold prediction that we're entering the "foothills of the singularity", and two emerging AI approaches aimed at predicting serious disease before symptoms appear. Plus, a shout-out to Australian health tech company ThinkMD.ai for winning international recognition at the World Health Assembly. Topics covered: * New Zealand's renewed investment in digital health and cyber security  * Why patients are increasingly turning to AI before healthcare professionals  * Public trust, regulation and the future of clinical AI  * Google's vision for AI-driven scientific discovery  * Predicting liver disease years earlier using historical pathology data  * Longevity science and AI-powered disease prediction  * What healthcare needs to do to keep pace with accelerating technological change Resources: Stryker Vocera's Initial Delays Diagnosis Quiz Link [https://insights.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bpzuK94h5VNxmvk?source=Pulse_IT] Digital Health Workforce Census (opens 1 May, ANZ) Link [https://dhworx.au/specialist-dh-workforce-census] Hospital Sant Pau, Barcelona Link [https://www.barcelona.de/en/barcelona-hospital-sant-pau.html] The Use of AI in UK Healthcare Report, King’s College London Link [https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/one-in-seven-people-have-used-ai-instead-of-seeing-a-gp-study-finds] WHO endorses precision medicine resolution Link [https://www.who.int/news/item/22-05-2026-world-health-assembly-endorses-resolution-on-precision-medicine] Congrats to ThinkMD.ai and Dr Jackie Rabec – Pulse+IT Link [https://www.pulseit.news/australian-digital-health/thinkmd-ai-awarded-future-health-prize-in-geneva/] Visit Pulse+IT.news [https://www.pulseit.news/] to subscribe to breaking digital news, weekly newsletters and a rich treasure trove of archival material. People in the know, get their news from Pulse+IT – Your leading voice in digital health news. Follow us on LinkedIn Louise [https://www.linkedin.com/in/louiseschaper/] | George [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drgeorgemargelis/] | Pulse+IT [https://www.linkedin.com/company/pulseitnews/] Follow us on BlueSky Louise [https://bsky.app/profile/drlouiseschaper.bsky.social] | George [https://bsky.app/profile/drgeorgemargelis.bsky.social] | Pulse+IT [https://bsky.app/profile/pulseit.bsky.social] Send us your questions pulsepod@pulseit.news [pulsepod@pulseit.news] Production by Octopod Productions [https://octopod.productions/] | Ivan Juric [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivan-juric-octopod-productions/]

Your Fear of AI Is Prehistoric - with Dr Nick van Terheyden

Welcome to Pulse: Amplify, where we sit down with the leaders and changemakers shaping the future of health.  Dr Nick (van Terheyden) brings his trademark frankness to Pulse, unpacking AI panic, broken healthcare business models, clinician workflow, digital transformation myths, and the technologies people are still underestimating. A fast-moving discussion spanning evidence, empathy, innovation, and the future of care. Nick’s recent article ‘Your fear of AI isn’t rational, it’s prehistoric Link [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/your-fear-ai-isnt-rational-its-prehistoric-van-terheyden-md-acpa-c-926ye/?trackingId=%2FDurP6cIayJoRcXkkvFGHg%3D%3D] Connect with Dr Nick on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickvt/] Stryker Vocera's Initial Delays Diagnosis Quiz Link [https://insights.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bpzuK94h5VNxmvk?source=Pulse_IT] Visit Pulse+IT.news [https://www.pulseit.news/] to subscribe to breaking digital news, weekly newsletters and a rich treasure trove of archival material. People in the know, get their news from Pulse+IT – Your leading voice in digital health news. Follow us on LinkedIn Louise [https://www.linkedin.com/in/louiseschaper/] | George [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drgeorgemargelis/] | Pulse+IT [https://www.linkedin.com/company/pulseitnews/] Follow us on BlueSky Louise [https://bsky.app/profile/drlouiseschaper.bsky.social] | George [https://bsky.app/profile/drgeorgemargelis.bsky.social] | Pulse+IT [https://bsky.app/profile/pulseit.bsky.social] Send us your questions pulsepod@pulseit.news [pulsepod@pulseit.news] Production by Octopod Productions [https://octopod.productions/] | Ivan Juric [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivan-juric-octopod-productions/]

Westminster in Crisis, Wearables Get Clinical, and the Grown-Up Guide to AI

This week on Pulse: Hot Topics, Louise and George cover a fortnight that captured the whole spectrum of digital health in 2026 — political turmoil at the top, consumer tech-led disruption from below, and an expert call for responsible AI delivery in the middle. UK Health Secretary Resigns as Palantir Contract Unravels — Wes Streeting resigns; James Murray becomes the 9th UK Health Secretary in 8 years; the £330M NHS Federated Data Platform faces a break clause as workforce, MPs and unions revolt. Reports emerge of Palantir staff being granted "unlimited access" to identifiable patient data, while the NHS Analysts Together collective launches an open letter calling for the contract to end. The Wearable Category Just Split Three Ways — Google retires Fitbit, launches Google Health with a Gemini-powered AI Coach and the $99 Fitbit Air, cross-platform with Apple HealthKit. One day later, WHOOP launches live clinician video consultations and EHR integration via HealthEx, backed by Mayo Clinic and Abbott. Meanwhile Oura quietly acquires Galen AI to build a longitudinal health operating system. Three completely different theories of where value sits in wearable health. Responsible AI UK: The Delivery Playbook — A BMJ Digital Health editorial from RAi UK sets out four priorities for execution: infrastructure and open standards, problem-focused innovation, holistic evaluation, and workforce capability. Essentially the operating manual the new UK Health Secretary should be reading tonight. Resources: Stryker Vocera's Initial Delays Diagnosis Quiz Link [https://insights.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bpzuK94h5VNxmvk?source=Pulse_IT] Responsible AI UK, BMJ Digital Health& AI Link [https://bmjdigitalhealth.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000083] Digital Health Workforce Census (opens 1 May, ANZ) Link [https://dhworx.au/specialist-dh-workforce-census] Visit Pulse+IT.news [https://www.pulseit.news/] to subscribe to breaking digital news, weekly newsletters and a rich treasure trove of archival material. People in the know, get their news from Pulse+IT – Your leading voice in digital health news. Follow us on LinkedIn Louise [https://www.linkedin.com/in/louiseschaper/] | George [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drgeorgemargelis/] | Pulse+IT [https://www.linkedin.com/company/pulseitnews/] Follow us on BlueSky Louise [https://bsky.app/profile/drlouiseschaper.bsky.social] | George [https://bsky.app/profile/drgeorgemargelis.bsky.social] | Pulse+IT [https://bsky.app/profile/pulseit.bsky.social] Send us your questions pulsepod@pulseit.news [pulsepod@pulseit.news] Production by Octopod Productions [https://octopod.productions/] | Ivan Juric [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivan-juric-octopod-productions/]

Hold Fast: AI, Humanity and the Future of Aged Care with Donald Macaskill

Welcome to Pulse: Amplify, where we sit down with the leaders and changemakers shaping the future of health.  At the recent ITAC Conference in Brisbane, one keynote stopped the room. While most AI presentations focus on efficiency, automation and productivity, Scottish Care CEO Dr Donald Macaskill delivered something very different: a deeply human conversation about dignity, autonomy, storytelling, privacy and what healthcare risks losing in the race toward artificial intelligence. In this episode of Pulse, Louise and George sit down with Donald to unpack Scotland’s ethical and human rights-based approach to AI in aged care — and why he believes AI is not inevitable, but a choice. The conversation explores: * the shift from person-centred to person-led care,  * why current AI systems often fail to reflect the lived experience of ageing,  * the risks of surveillance and opaque decision-making in care environments,  * how Scotland is using co-design and human rights frameworks to shape AI adoption,  * and why technology should enhance — never replace — human presence and relationships.  Donald also shares practical lessons from Scottish initiatives including the Oxford Institute for Ethics in AI and the Coorie Well project, where residents, families and frontline staff helped shape AI tools from the ground up. And in a memorable closing exchange, Donald reflects on the one thing machines may never truly understand about care: laughter. A thoughtful, philosophical and surprisingly funny conversation about what it means to “hold fast” to humanity in the age of AI. Connect with Donald on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/donald-macaskill-164b7217/] Stryker Vocera's Initial Delays Diagnosis Quiz Link [https://insights.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bpzuK94h5VNxmvk?source=Pulse_IT] Visit Pulse+IT.news [https://www.pulseit.news/] to subscribe to breaking digital news, weekly newsletters and a rich treasure trove of archival material. People in the know, get their news from Pulse+IT – Your leading voice in digital health news. Follow us on LinkedIn Louise [https://www.linkedin.com/in/louiseschaper/] | George [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drgeorgemargelis/] | Pulse+IT [https://www.linkedin.com/company/pulseitnews/] Follow us on BlueSky Louise [https://bsky.app/profile/drlouiseschaper.bsky.social] | George [https://bsky.app/profile/drgeorgemargelis.bsky.social] | Pulse+IT [https://bsky.app/profile/pulseit.bsky.social] Send us your questions pulsepod@pulseit.news [pulsepod@pulseit.news] Production by Octopod Productions [https://octopod.productions/] | Ivan Juric [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivan-juric-octopod-productions/]

AI – now with Clinical Reasoning; the Paradox of Medical AI and OpenEvidence Pulls Out of Europe

This week on Pulse: Hot Topics, Louise and George dive into the major developments shaping the future of healthcare.  Tech giants Google and OpenAI release purpose-built clinician AI tools; a landmark Science paper and commentary on the clinical reasoning capabilities of AI; Eric Topol calls out the paradox at the heart of medical AI; and OpenEvidence, the most-used clinical AI platform in the US walks out of Europe. Resources: Brodeur et al. Science paper Link Hopkins & Cornelisse commentary, Science Link Eric Topol, The Paradox of Medical AI Implementation Link [https://erictopol.substack.com/p/the-paradox-of-medical-ai-implementation] Digital Health Workforce Census (opens 1 May, ANZ) Link [https://dhworx.au/specialist-dh-workforce-census] Visit Pulse+IT.news [https://www.pulseit.news/] to subscribe to breaking digital news, weekly newsletters and a rich treasure trove of archival material. People in the know, get their news from Pulse+IT – Your leading voice in digital health news. Follow us on LinkedIn Louise [https://www.linkedin.com/in/louiseschaper/] | George [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drgeorgemargelis/] | Pulse+IT [https://www.linkedin.com/company/pulseitnews/] Follow us on BlueSky Louise [https://bsky.app/profile/drlouiseschaper.bsky.social] | George [https://bsky.app/profile/drgeorgemargelis.bsky.social] | Pulse+IT [https://bsky.app/profile/pulseit.bsky.social] Send us your questions pulsepod@pulseit.news [pulsepod@pulseit.news] Production by Octopod Productions [https://octopod.productions/] | Ivan Juric [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivan-juric-octopod-productions/]