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Artificial Intelligence – A turning point in pandemic preparedness and response? A SWOT analysis

par Morias, Alizée ;Peterschek, Sophie;Renmans, Dimitri ;Paul, Elisabeth
Référence European Congress on Tropical Medicine and International Health (ECTMIH 2025) (14th edition: 2025-09-29 – 2025-10-02: Hamburg, Germany)
Publication Non publié, 2025-10-01

Communication à un colloque

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Résumé :

Question: The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed many shortcomings in the way health systems prepare for and respond to pandemics. In this context, artificial intelligence (AI) has been presented as a revolutionary solution capable of helping detect epidemics, assisting in diagnosis and predicting the spread of viruses and other health threats. These advances have led many researchers to extol AI's immense potential for pandemic preparedness and response (PPR). However, its adoption during the Covid-19 pandemic raises questions and uncertainties about its real effectiveness, its technical constraints and its social, ethical and legal implications.Methods: We conducted a scoping review using the updated Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodological guidance for scoping reviews and systematically searched three databases: ProQuest, PubMed, and Scopus. We searched for articles published between January 2014 and December 2024. We performed a SWOT analysis to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats associated with its use for PPR, based on the five pandemic preparedness and response subsystems defined by the World Health Organization.Results: After screening, 34 articles met our inclusion criteria. The analysis reveals the great potential of AI for PPR, particularly through the rapid detection of outbreaks, automation of tasks and improved access to information (strengths). In addition, AI could help optimize research and innovation, as well as coordinate the response to health crises at the international level (opportunities). However, several weaknesses remain, such as the lack of transparency and the poor adaptability of algorithms to unexpected developments in pandemics. In addition, AI raises the risk of invasion of privacy and social control. The emergence of unequal access to AI technologies and algorithmic biases could increase health disparities (threats).Conclusion: In the face of this analysis, we emphasize the essential aspect of intergovernmental cooperation to ensure the sustainable and equitable integration of AI for PPR. However, a more profound transformation of the management of health crises is necessary, in order to move from a strictly "Pasteurian" (single cause) approach to PPR to a holistic vision that takes into account social, economic and environmental determinants. Thus, AI should not be implemented as an isolated solution, but as an innovation supporting a systemic and sustainable approach.