The impact of AI on healthcare will continue into 2025, experts predict, focusing on how it can enhance medical practices while ensuring data is used accurately and securely. Elsewhere, technology is poised to improve clinical trials, advance women’s health, and offer new insights into the potential of quantum technology.
Healthcare LLM training and specialised AI tools
Oskar Wenbar, COO and co-founder, Evaro
“2025 will mark the end of ‘AI theatre’ in healthcare. After the initial rush to implement any form of AI, we’ll see a decisive shift toward measurable, clinically validated AI applications. The standout innovation will be ‘predictive healthcare triage’ – AI systems that combine patient data, medical histories, and real-time health metrics to predict and prevent health issues before they become critical.
“Two major trends will emerge: the rise of ‘healthcare data cooperatives’ pooling anonymised patient data to train AI, particularly impacting preventative care. The NHS’s dataset will become one of Britain’s most valuable assets.
“Generic chatbots will be replaced by specialised AI tools focusing on specific medical domains, augmenting clinicians’ capabilities—for example, AI specialising in chronic condition management or medication response patterns.
“Data sovereignty will shape this evolution. Countries with robust healthcare datasets like the UK will gain advantages, sparking new collaborations and data-sharing agreements, especially post-Brexit.”
More efficient clinical trials are on their way
Melvin Lai, senior associate, Silicon Foundry
“Technologies using AI, data analytics, and digital platforms will continue to emerge to streamline clinical trials by improving processes, data quality, and patient engagement.
The life sciences sector has been among the lagging industries in the post-Covid era but is expected to outperform in the coming year as capital market conditions continue to improve and a window for IPOs and M&A exits spurs further positive momentum.”
Drug discovery over drug repurposing
Marina Hickson, managing director, Vivanti
“Start-ups like BenevolentAI and Recursion are making a compelling case for the transformative power of AI in drug discovery, and big pharmaceutical companies are starting to take notice. Over the past five years, nearly all major pharma players have dipped their toes into AI, primarily focusing on drug repurposing. However, there’s a noticeable shift from repurposing to developing new drugs, a trend expected to continue into 2025”
Quantum computing and AI will help accelerate innovation
Monika Rai, partner, EIP
“Quantum Computing to enhance AI in healthcare will likely be a standout technology in 2025, accelerating big dataset evaluation for more precise and efficient solutions.
“For healthcare businesses, this offers opportunities to improve clinical trials, speed up medicine development, and drive innovation. However, it also brings challenges, including access to reliable medical data, smaller markets for personalised treatments, and the need for collaboration within a competitive industry and across governments—all amid geopolitical turmoil.
“Meanwhile, traditional healthcare solutions remain unavailable to much of the global population.”
Financial constraints will see rise in tech adoption
David Joerring, CEO and co-founder, HealthKey
“2025 will see global health systems under intensifying pressure, driving rapid innovation in healthtech. Unsustainable financial models will accelerate the adoption of AI triage systems, virtual-first healthcare, and scalable preventative care. Comprehensive virtual healthcare packages, including GP services and chronic disease management, could become available for as little as £50 per person annually.”
Roger Mazella, senior medical product lead, Qt Group
“The MedTech industry is on the verge of a big boom. Recent downturn in the market, might suggest that the industry is headed for a steep decline but a more accurate way to view this is as a necessary course correction of the pandemic-driven industry bloating that led businesses to overexpansion and missteps in strategy.
“The conditions are ripe for a boom. We’ve got the biggest part of the population – the baby boomer generation – approaching their 60s and 70s. Healthcare is increasingly moving out of the hospital, with more care delivered at home. New technology initiatives are advancing to improve the delivery of healthcare for more people, in more locations, in a manner that is more efficient.”
Femtech advances will make workplaces more inclusive
Caroline MacDonald, Founder & CEO, Oggadoon
“Healthtech, or specifically, Femtech continues to captivate startups and investors alike, showing remarkable growth potential. People are becoming more proactive about monitoring their health. However, a significant challenge remains: most research still overlooks the complexities of the female body
“In 2025, there will be increased resources for managing menopause and perimenopause symptoms, offering holistic approaches to improve quality of life. In the workplace, we are witnessing a growing trend towards support systems for navigating menopause, with technology set to play an increasingly important role in this transformation. Also, demand to monitor general menstrual cycles, and the rise of Gen-Z, who need to understand their hormones more than ever. “
Valentina Milanova, founder, Daye
“AI and ML will revolutionise gynae healthcare, enabling more accurate diagnostics, especially for underfunded, under-addressed conditions, and personalised treatment plans. We’ll see AI-powered analysis of mammograms and other imaging becoming standard, significantly improving early detection of breast and ovarian cancers.
“Advanced wearables and femtech devices will expand beyond cycle tracking to provide comprehensive health monitoring. These will offer real-time data on hormonal changes, bone density, and cardiovascular health, enabling proactive interventions for conditions like osteoporosis and heart disease, which disproportionately affect women and AFAB individuals.
“Telemedicine platforms specialising in women’s health will expand, offering services like virtual maternity care, menopause counselling, and mental health support. This will create new business models and improve access to specialised care for women in underserved areas.
“Increased focus on data privacy and security in women’s health apps and devices will likely lead to stricter regulations, potentially reshaping the femtech landscape.”
How will geopolitical events influence healthtech?
Mayra Hurtado, CEO and co-founder, Hormony
“There are a variety of factors at play for femtech, as women’s health is a highly politicised issue. The news of the US President Elect Trump’s victory, for example, may cause a rise in women’s telehealth services to ensure access to care, particularly in states where women are losing rights when it comes to their healthcare and autonomy over their bodies.
“The same could be said for regions undergoing conflict; where healthcare is scarce there is an increased need for women’s healthcare and paediatrics. At the same time, in the UK for example, where the incumbent government has pledged increased support for startups as well as the launch of the Invest in Women Taskforce, we could see renewed interest in investment in women’s health startups and femtech, which would give the industry increased support and facilitate the development of innovation.”
At-home devices will help advance personalised healthcare
Dr Rui Lopes, medical advisor, OMED Health
“With the rise of at-home kits and devices to monitor all aspects of our health, 2025 will cement bespoke treatment pathways for consumers and patients. Whether it’s due to long wait times for healthcare treatment, or sheer curiosity, more consumers are turning to health and wellness devices that can be used autonomously, or with private clinician support, to track their health and help diagnose and treat various conditions.
“We’ll keep seeing bespoke pathways spring up for an increasing number of conditions, as brands unlock the technology to make this possible.”
Gareth Jones, business development director, HGS
“The future will see the delivery of care and the interface with patients increasingly devolved away from hospitals and surgeries. The need to reduce incremental costs and hospital admissions, as demand from an ageing population increases, will result in an increase in telehealth, adoption of digital devices at point of care, and the use of wearables.
These changes will see AI and machine learning playing increasingly critical roles, analysing vast amounts of patient data to enable more precise diagnoses, predictive analytics, and personalised treatment plans.”
Read more here: The startups tackling the gender data gap to improve female health
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