Abu Dhabi using AI to predict diabetes and cancer risk

Abu Dhabi is leaning into artificial intelligence to do something that sounds straight out of science fiction — predicting diseases before they happen. The emirate's Department of Health (DoH) has rolled out an AI-powered patient risk profile across every hospital and clinic. The goal? To help doctors catch early signs of illnesses like diabetes and cancer long before symptoms appear, giving residents a shot at longer, healthier lives.

It's a bold move that reflects the city's three-pillar healthcare strategy: longevity, world-class care, and system resilience. As Ibrahim Al Jallaf, Executive Director of Digital Health at DoH Abu Dhabi, explained at Gitex Global 2025, "In Abu Dhabi, we have something we call a patient risk profile. It looks for 14 different diseases, such as the probability of somebody getting diabetes or different types of cancers... it informs the physician, and it also gives the physician more information — what lab tests, what recent visits gave the indication."

How does it work?

Imagine your entire medical life — every lab test, scan, and prescription since birth — stitched together into one living record. That's what powers Abu Dhabi's AI model. It scans a person's full health history, spotting hidden trends that even the sharpest human eye might miss.

"Now the luxury is it scans their entire health record since they were born," Al Jallaf said. "It looks at trends that even humans wouldn't be able to catch." This means doctors can identify risk patterns early and step in before small problems become big ones.

Here's what makes the system tick:

• Full integration: 100% of hospitals and clinics are connected through the physician portal.
• Real-time data access: Even if a patient visits a doctor for the first time, their complete 360° record is instantly available via Malaffi, the health information exchange.
• Explainable AI: Doctors see not just the prediction, but the why behind it — a crucial step in keeping human judgment at the heart of care.

Al Jallaf is clear that the system isn't here to replace physicians. "Artificial intelligence is there to support the physician," he said. "It doesn't act on behalf of the physician — instead, it allows the physician to use their knowledge and understanding... to incorporate that into their treatment plan."

Why does it matter?

Early detection saves lives — and resources. By predicting diseases before symptoms emerge, healthcare shifts from reactive to preventive. This approach could dramatically reduce the burden of chronic diseases and improve population health over time.

It also transforms how doctors work. Instead of combing through records or chasing lab results, physicians can focus on what matters most — the patient sitting in front of them. "The entire point is, when a physician's there with you, it's about them being able to focus on you and optimize their time on you," said Al Jallaf.

And it's not just about the clinicians. Patients, too, can now access AI-powered insights via Sahatna - a mobile app where users can ask questions about their health in plain language.

The context

Abu Dhabi's experiment with predictive healthcare isn't happening in a vacuum. Around the world, health systems are racing to integrate AI responsibly — balancing innovation with privacy, ethics, and trust. What sets Abu Dhabi apart is its scale and cohesion. Every resident is already covered under this risk model, making it one of the most comprehensive AI deployments in global healthcare.

The emirate's growing AI ecosystem also includes two large language models (LLMs):

• One serves as an intelligent assistant for physicians, surfacing the most relevant health data in real time.
• The other, embedded in Sahatna, helps individuals navigate healthcare information in natural language.

Abu Dhabi's bet on predictive AI signals a new era — one where medicine doesn't just treat illness, but foresees it. It's the kind of forward-thinking model other cities might soon want to copy. After all, as the saying goes, prevention is better than cure — and Abu Dhabi is turning that old wisdom into a digital reality.