York researchers lead AI initiative to change future of global health 

Originally published by Yfile (29 October 2025)

Edited byAshley Goodfellow Craig

If a child in Ethiopia was showing early signs of polio, a health worker would once have to send samples to a distant lab, wait for test results and then notify public health authorities.

Those delays increase the risk of lost lives and allow the disease to spread. 

Now, disease surveillance can happen instantly. 

The Polio Antenna app, developed for real-time monitoring of polio, is being used by health institutions in Ethiopia to flag cases, access interventions and allocate resources quickly. 

That effort is part of an initiative co-ordinated by York University’s Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research.  

The Artificial Intelligence for Pandemic and Epidemic Preparedness and Response network (AI4PEP) is using the power of AI, local expertise and international collaboration to improve health outcomes and prevent outbreaks, particularly in the Global South.  

‘’We’re not just deploying technology, we’re democratizing it,” says Jude Kong, executive director of AI4PEP and former York U professor. “When community health workers in Ethiopia have the same AI-driven tool as researchers in Canada, that’s when we start to see real equity in global health. AI4PEP is proud to be building bridges between institutions, policymakers and communities to co-create AI solutions tailored to their needs.’’ 

This initiative is more than a tech project; it’s about justice, inclusion and smarter science. And, York University is right at the heart of it. 

“This professional, world-class group of researchers are working together to drive AI-powered innovations in global health,” says Emmanuel Musa, a community fellow at the Dahdaleh Institute. 

Musa says the goal is to ensure communities around the world, especially in the regions most affected by health inequities, have the tools to detect, respond to and stop outbreaks before they become global crises. 

Launched in 2022 with funding from the International Development Research Centre, AI4PEP is built on a simple idea: the places most at risk from infectious disease outbreaks – which often involve lower-income countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean – deserve equal footing in the global response.  

But Musa says it means more than receiving aid; it’s about leading solutions. 

York’s Keele Campus serves as the secretariat and administrative hub of the network, co-ordinating with research hubs across underserved regions that each tackle disease surveillance and preparedness with AI tools.  

Rather than pushing a top-down model, local researchers, communities and values inform the work every step of the way. 

“The network supports projects that use AI to improve things like early warning systems, disease modelling and community health surveillance with a deep focus on context and fairness,” says Musa. 

Like the hub in Ethiopia working to prevent polio outbreaks, he says there is a team in the Philippines working with Indigenous communities to develop culturally appropriate outbreak response tools. In South Africa, a team of scientists are using sensors powered by AI to detect high levels of air pollution, while another team works to integrate climate, air quality and hospital data to help monitor respiratory disease patterns in real time.

So far, 20 research hubs across the Global South have received funding, with more on the way, Musa says. York, he adds, is uniquely suited to being the “backbone” of the operation. 

With expertise from the Dahdaleh Institute, the University provides leadership, research expertise, grant support and capacity building for strong partnerships. 

Perhaps most importantly, York is shaping the ethical and decolonial foundation of AI4PEP. That means ensuring the work reflects values like inclusivity, gender equity and respect for local knowledge, not just technological ambition. 

“We are going to continue to be a catalyst in this area of innovation and solutions, and we envision expanding our network,” says Musa. 

The coming years will see more regional hubs, deeper partnerships with governments and health agencies, a focus on translating research into policy and practice, and scaling the AI-powered solutions. 

There are also plans to expand training programs to build the next generation of AI-literate public health leaders in the Global South. 

As AI4PEP is gaining momentum, it is receiving global recognition. The network has presented at major international forums including the United Nations General Assembly Science Summit and at the World Health Organization’s 2025 Global Conference on Climate and Health.  

“We are expanding our reach,” Musa says. 

But the big-picture goal remains clear: to build resilient, just and inclusive health systems that can withstand climate change, epidemics and pandemics. 

To learn more about the project, visit www.ai4pep.org or watch the video below.

With files from Karen Martin-Robbins

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