By 2050, an estimated 1.3 billion people around the world will have diabetes. If pre-diabetic individuals are included, that number could rise to 5 billion—roughly half the global population. But experts say artificial intelligence (AI) may hold the key to preventing this crisis.
At Fortune’s Most Powerful Women International conference in Riyadh, healthcare leaders discussed how AI is transforming diabetes care and could reshape the future of global health. They highlighted AI’s growing role in managing and even preventing diseases tied to diabetes, especially in regions like the Middle East where lifestyle-related diabetes is on the rise.
“The numbers are staggering,” said Noosheen Hashemi, founder and CEO of January AI, a company that uses artificial intelligence to deliver personalized nutrition and blood sugar insights. “By 2050, we expect 1.3 billion people with diabetes and around three times as many with pre-diabetes. That’s more than 5 billion people who may be insulin resistant.”
However, Hashemi said there’s reason for hope. “The good news is, we already have the tools we need to help people become metabolically healthy.” She pointed to AI-powered technology that allows users to snap a photo of their food and instantly receive detailed information about its nutritional content—along with a prediction of how it may affect their blood sugar levels.
Olfat Berro, Head of the Middle East region at Roche Pharmaceuticals, emphasized that AI can do more than just monitor food. In the future, it could help predict and prevent other diseases linked to diabetes using genomic and health data.
“We’re seeing the effects of diabetes on other organs—like eyesight, for example,” Berro explained. “AI can help us understand changes in the body before symptoms appear. This gives doctors a chance to step in early and prevent further damage.”
To develop its blood sugar prediction app, January AI gathered data from over 1,000 participants. Using this information, the company built an AI engine that combines personal lifestyle habits, genomic data, and health metrics to forecast an individual’s health risks.
This personalized approach could help millions avoid a diabetic future, said Leah Cotterill, CEO of Cigna Healthcare for the Middle East and Africa (excluding Saudi Arabia).
“One would hope that with education, smart AI tools, and effective medicines, we can bend the curve down instead of letting it climb so high,” Cotterill said.
As AI tools become more advanced and accessible, health experts believe they will play a vital role in stopping the rise of diabetes—and helping people live healthier lives.
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