38 has been around for a long time, but only in pockets. Now it is ubiquitous in areas that can easily support the technology. The pandemic also highlighted the healthcare deserts, not just in local areas of the industrialised world but also all over the globe where vaccines, anti-viral medications and other measures were beyond the grasp of developing countries. In terms of economic downturn, we have seen the venture capital community become more cautious about how and when they invest in digital health startups. One area that remains popular is generative AI but, even in this area, we aren’t seeing the unabashed enthusiasm that we saw from investors just a few years ago. The benefits of AI products like Copilot is the subject of great debate. Where does generative AI play a part in HLS startups? Generative AI remains well established in administrative use cases, driven by the amount of risk (or lack thereof) that can be tolerated in HLS. However, as the industry improves with content moderation and effectively ringfencing the sources used in generative AI, we will be able to move towards more clinical applications. Additionally, Microsoft remains committed to responsible AI practices of fairness, reliability and safety, privacy and security, inclusiveness, transparency and accountability, such as through its AI Assurance Program. EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW Sally Ann Frank and the Microsoft for Startups team exhibited 10 of its HLS startups at HLTH 2023, the healthcare and wellness event, in October 2023
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