India Launches SAHI and BODH Initiatives at AI Summit

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda is set to launch two pivotal national initiatives aimed at enhancing the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare during the India AI Summit on February 17, 2024. The initiatives, known as the Strategy for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare for India (SAHI) and the Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI (BODH), will be introduced at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

SAHI serves as a national guidance framework designed to facilitate the safe, ethical, and evidence-based integration of AI within India’s healthcare system. According to a press release, the framework aims to provide strategic direction in areas such as governance, data stewardship, and the validation, deployment, and monitoring of AI solutions. It also seeks to support states and institutions in responsibly adopting AI technologies that align with public health priorities.

BODH, developed by the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in collaboration with the National Health Authority, is a privacy-preserving benchmarking platform. This platform allows for the rigorous evaluation of AI models using diverse and real-world health data while safeguarding the underlying datasets. As a digital public good under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, BODH aims to enhance trust, transparency, and quality assurance in the implementation of Health AI.

India AI Impact Expo 2026: A National Showcase

The introduction of SAHI and BODH coincides with the India AI Impact Expo 2026, which runs from February 16-20, 2024, also at Bharat Mandapam. This expo is designed to serve as a national demonstration of AI applications, where policy intersects with practice and innovation meets everyday life.

Spanning over 70,000 square meters, the expo will feature participation from global technology firms, startups, academic institutions, government ministries, and international partners. Notably, the event will include 13 country pavilions, representing nations such as Australia, Japan, Russia, and several European countries, highlighting international collaboration in the AI sector.

The expo is expected to draw over 250,000 visitors, including international delegates, and will showcase more than 300 curated exhibition pavilions. These pavilions will be organized into three thematic areas: People, Planet, and Progress, showcasing the transformative potential of AI across various sectors.

In addition to exhibiting working solutions developed by over 600 high-potential startups, the expo will host more than 500 sessions featuring over 3,250 speakers and panel members. These discussions will focus on the impact of AI and explore future directions to ensure that Artificial Intelligence benefits communities across the globe.

The initiatives and the expo together represent a significant step in India’s commitment to building a robust, responsible, and globally competitive health AI ecosystem.