Lee Calls for Responsible AI to Narrow Global Healthcare Gaps
President Lee Jae Myung urged countries to use artificial intelligence safely and responsibly to expand access to medical services, as the World Bio Summit in Seoul adopted a declaration on sharing the benefits of healthcare innovation.
SEOUL — President Lee Jae Myung called for the safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence in healthcare, saying the technology should help close gaps in medical services between countries rather than widen them.
Lee delivered the message in a speech to the World Bio Summit 2026 in Seoul on Wednesday. His remarks were read on his behalf by Kim Kyoung-ja, senior presidential secretary for social affairs.
The two-day summit is being hosted by the World Health Organization in partnership with the South Korean government. It brings the international healthcare agenda together with Korea’s push to expand the use of AI in medicine and biotechnology.
Lee emphasized that healthcare is directly connected to human life, making safety and responsibility central requirements for the adoption of AI. He said narrowing differences in healthcare access among countries and ensuring that people can obtain appropriate medical services are shared challenges requiring collective action.
Participants adopted the AI Healthcare Seoul Declaration, which calls for global solidarity so that the gains from AI-driven innovation are broadly shared. The declaration also stresses that healthcare AI should be developed and used in safe and responsible ways.
The message gives an international dimension to South Korea’s efforts to promote AI-enabled healthcare. The presidential office had earlier said Lee planned to discuss closer healthcare cooperation with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during the WHO chief’s visit to Seoul for the summit. The agenda included spreading the benefits of healthcare innovation, establishing global AI hubs and developing the international bio workforce.
The summit’s focus places access alongside innovation. AI systems can support the analysis and delivery of medical services, but Lee’s remarks framed their value in terms of whether they improve care for people and countries that face limited access. The declaration similarly connects technological progress with governance and equitable distribution.
The gathering runs through Thursday. Its adoption of a Seoul declaration gives governments and healthcare leaders a shared statement of principles as they consider how to introduce AI into a sector where errors, uneven access and weak safeguards can carry direct consequences for patients.
For South Korea, hosting the summit also reinforces its effort to position Seoul as a venue for international coordination on digital health and biotechnology. The central policy test will be turning broad commitments on safety, responsibility and inclusion into practical cooperation that can extend the benefits of healthcare innovation across borders.