Dr. D. Nageshwar Reddy, speaking at the AI in Healthcare conference in Hyderabad on March 12, 2025, for the Telangana Academy of Medical Sciences’ Manohar-Shirotka Award, envisions AI revolutionizing medicine. “AI won’t replace doctors, but those who master it will lead,” he said, showcasing AIG’s life-saving innovations.
Imagine a world where a robot answers your medical questions with precision, a simple blood test predicts liver disease as accurately as a million-dollar machine, and cardiac arrests in hospitals become a thing of the past—all thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). This isn’t science fiction; it’s the cutting-edge reality unfolding in healthcare today. From slashing drug discovery timelines to personalizing treatments, AI is rewriting the rules of medicine, and the future is already here.
On March 12, 2025, these groundbreaking advancements took center stage at the AI in Healthcare conference hosted by the Telangana Academy of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad. The event, a prestigious gathering of medical innovators and scientists, honored a leading figure with the coveted Manohar-Shirotka Award. Addressing the audience, Dr. D. Nageshwar Reddy, Chairman of AIG Hospitals and a Padma Bhushan recipient, delivered a keynote that captivated attendees with real-world examples of AI’s transformative power. Expressing gratitude to the academy and Professor Mohan Rao—his long-time collaborator in pancreatic genetics research—Dr. Reddy shared how his skepticism about AI turned into unwavering belief over the past two years.
From Doubter to Disciple
Dr. Reddy admitted that five years ago, he dismissed AI, prioritizing empathy and natural intelligence in patient care. “I thought medical care is empathy, looking after our patients well,” he recalled. But his perspective shifted dramatically. “Somewhere we have to use artificial intelligence to enhance medical care,” he now asserts, showcasing how AIG Hospitals is pioneering AI-driven healthcare in India. With a nod to ChatGPT for helping structure his talk, he humorously declined its offer to design his slides, setting the tone for a blend of wit and wisdom.
AI’s Evolution and Impact
Tracing AI’s journey from Alan Turing’s wartime code-breaking to the 2010 deep learning revolution, Dr. Reddy outlined its three pillars in healthcare: language models like ChatGPT, computer vision for diagnostics, and natural language processing. He highlighted AI’s ability to shrink drug discovery from 20-25 years to just two, predicting epidemics, and boosting diagnostic precision—applications poised to reshape healthcare, agriculture, and education globally.
AIG’s AI Trailblazing
At AIG Hospitals, AI is no abstract concept—it’s a daily reality. Dr. Reddy introduced “Meera,” the Medical Information Robot, stationed outside outpatient departments to answer patient queries about medications and procedures. “Patients now say, ‘No, you don’t explain, doctor, I’ll go to Meera,” he quipped, noting its appeal and its growing role in postgraduate education.
The “iSave” system, another AIG innovation, uses AI to monitor vital signs and preempt cardiac arrests. Since its rollout six months ago, it has eliminated code blue incidents, saving three lives daily. In surgical prep, AI slashed a 20% dropout rate by streamlining pre-anesthetic checkups into a single, patient-friendly “pre-surgery lounge,” boosting efficiency and revenue.
AIG’s world-leading endoscopy unit, performing 700-800 procedures daily, leverages an AI-driven tracking system with RF bands, cutting procedure times to 1 hour 30 minutes—a feat drawing attention from the Harvard Business Review. In predictive medicine, AI forecasts epidemics and tailors drug doses via pharmacogenomics, optimizing treatment for 40% of patients.
Bridging Empathy and Technology
Dr. Reddy unveiled “PRISM,” an AI tool that records patient interactions in four languages, freeing doctors from computer screens to focus on eye-to-eye connection. Tested on 30,000 patients, with plans for 100,000 more, it promises to revolutionize electronic medical records nationwide. Yet, he cautioned, “AI cannot replace empathy,” referencing an 1857 painting of a doctor’s compassion as a timeless ideal.
A Call to Action
Reassuring clinicians, Dr. Reddy declared, “AI is not going to replace doctors, but doctors who know AI are going to replace those who don’t.” His address—a mix of history, innovation, and vision—positioned AIG as a beacon of AI-driven healthcare, urging the medical community to embrace this technological tide. As Hyderabad’s conference spotlighted these advances, it became clear: AI isn’t just enhancing healthcare—it’s redefining it.
