Unlocking the future of intelligent Health and AI: key learnings from the Gartner IT Symposium 2024

The rise of AI pose risks, including data leakage, privacy concerns, and generative AI’s potential for hallucinations.

I had the pleasure of attending the Gartner IT Symposium 2024 this year in Barcelona, Spain, which offered transformative insights into how AI is reshaping healthcare and life sciences.

With trends like intelligent health, decision intelligence, and AI governance taking center stage, CIOs and tech leaders were provided with actionable strategies to harness AI for innovation and success.

Intelligent health emerged as a critical focus, driven by the need to address accessibility gaps and rebuild patient trust. Gartner highlighted how ubiquitous data and AI can deliver hyper-personalized care experiences, making patient journeys more cohesive. Tools like precision health, remote monitoring, and digital therapeutics were identified as key enablers in bridging systemic gaps while tailoring care to individual needs.

The concept of decision intelligence was also spotlighted as a transformative approach for optimizing complex decision-making. By 2026, Gartner predicts that 75% of global companies will use decision intelligence platforms, integrating AI agents and generative AI to enable predictive insights and actionable outcomes. These systems facilitate simulations and trade-off analyses, enhancing precision and ROI across industries.

AI agents, meanwhile, are advancing automation and autonomy in healthcare, from streamlining workflows to revolutionizing telehealth and diagnostics. These technologies are enabling providers to respond faster and more accurately to patient needs, enhancing care delivery.

However, the rise of AI also introduces risks, including data leakage, privacy concerns, and generative AI’s potential for hallucinations. Gartner emphasized the importance of guardrails such as neurosymbolic methods and ML classifiers to ensure ethical and responsible AI deployment. These measures are crucial for mitigating risks, promoting transparency, and ensuring sustainable innovation.

The symposium further outlined five priorities for healthcare AI success: robust compute power, data strategies, governance frameworks, modern analytics architectures, and specialized skillsets. Interoperability and data sharing, powered by frameworks like FHIR-enabled cloud services, were also highlighted as essential for fostering collaboration and innovation in intelligent health.

Looking ahead, Gartner identified key trends for 2025, including neurosymbolic AI, multi-agent systems, and the evolution of decision intelligence. These innovations demand that CIOs remain agile and continuously adapt strategies to stay ahead. Leaders must prioritize resilient infrastructures, transparency, and patient-first approaches to unlock AI’s transformative potential fully.

The symposium reinforced that the future of healthcare and life sciences depends on aligning AI strategies with organizational and societal needs. By embracing intelligent health solutions, addressing governance challenges, and staying attuned to emerging trends, organizations can drive meaningful outcomes and define a future marked by efficiency, innovation, and enhanced patient care.