How to build an AI strategy that connects technological opportunity to health equity

Situation — A strategic inflection point for global health innovation

PATH [Program for Appropriate Technology in Health] is one of the world’s leading global health organisations, dedicated to accelerating health equity through innovation. As artificial intelligence began reshaping the landscape of product development across industries, PATH recognised both the opportunity and the responsibility: to harness AI in ways that would meaningfully advance its mission — not simply adopt technology for its own sake.

The challenge was significant: translating fast-moving, complex AI capabilities into a coherent, actionable strategy for a mission-driven organisation operating in some of the world’s most underserved health contexts. PATH needed a framework that was technically credible, organisationally grounded, and uncompromisingly aligned with its commitment to equitable access.

Approach — Listening first, then building

Mandated to develop a comprehensive AI strategy for Product Development, the work began where every good strategy should: with the people who would live it. Structured stakeholder engagement was conducted across internal teams and external experts — gathering insights, testing assumptions, and building alignment around both organisational realities and emerging AI capabilities.

This was combined with a comprehensive landscape analysis of AI applications in global health product development — mapping where the technology was already creating impact, where the gaps lay, and where the greatest opportunities existed to accelerate outcomes for underserved populations.

The resulting strategy framework translated complex technology opportunities into actionable organisational priorities across key product development domains — ensuring that every AI opportunity was evaluated not only for its operational value, but for its potential to advance equitable access to health solutions.

Approaches: AI Landscape Analysis · Stakeholder Engagement · Strategic Framework Design

Impact — Innovation in service of mission

The AI strategy delivered a structured, organisation-ready framework that gave PATH’s Product Development teams a clear, shared direction for integrating artificial intelligence into their work. Beyond the strategic document itself, the process built internal alignment and awareness — equipping teams to engage with AI opportunities critically and confidently. At its core, the work ensured that PATH’s approach to AI would remain what it has always been: innovation in deliberate, uncompromising service of health equity.