{"id":11917,"date":"2026-07-06T17:51:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T17:51:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/business.cornell.edu\/centers\/?p=11917"},"modified":"2026-07-17T14:55:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T14:55:19","slug":"ais-next-leap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/business.cornell.edu\/centers\/2026\/07\/06\/ais-next-leap\/","title":{"rendered":"AI’s next leap: Expanding health care access in emerging markets"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<\/head>

By Melissa Linares, MBA ’26<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI in health care is often discussed through the lens of developed markets, incremental efficiency gains, administrative automation and optimization of already-digitized systems. In emerging markets, the story is fundamentally different. AI is not a convenience; it is a catalyst for access, equity and system-level transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this episode of Beating Sisyphus<\/a><\/em>, produced by the Cañizares Center for Emerging Markets<\/a> in collaboration with the Cornell Emerging Markets Institute Club<\/a>, I moderated a conversation with four leaders working at the intersection of clinical care, engineering, digital health and AI-enabled safety systems. Together, we explored how emerging markets are leapfrogging legacy barriers and building AI-native health care models that look nothing like those in the U.S. and in many ways are moving faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI’s biggest opportunity: Access over efficiency<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When asked about the single biggest opportunity AI creates for emerging markets, panelists converged on one theme: access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In countries where specialists are scarce and infrastructure is thin, AI becomes a force multiplier. Brian Baldeo noted that AI-guided diagnostic tools in places like Kenya allow front-line nurses to perform screenings once reserved for specialists. This is not about shaving seconds off workflows; it is about bringing lifesaving care to communities that have never had it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fumei Cerecino Mayer emphasized AI’s ability to reduce friction across fragmented systems, triage, routing, documentation and decision support, especially in regions where out-of-pocket costs and travel distances create enormous barriers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joe Benson highlighted a unique advantage: Emerging markets can build AI-native systems from scratch, unburdened by legacy electronic health records. They can design for their own realities rather than retrofitting U.S. systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Infrastructure: Building the foundation while scaling innovation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Deploying AI in environments with unreliable power grids and limited broadband requires more than software; it requires engineering foresight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baldeo outlined three foundational pillars:<\/p>\n\n\n\n