Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Sustainable Development

Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in advancing modern healthcare while addressing its alignment with sustainable development goals. The study aims to highlight both the benefits of AI applications in medicine and the challenges associated with their ethical use, data privacy, and environmental impact. Methods: This paper adopts a qualitative review approach, synthesizing recent literature and case studies related to AI in disease detection, medical imaging, clinical trials, and drug development. It compares the advantages of AI systems over traditional methods and evaluates their implications for healthcare delivery, sustainability, and policy. Results: Findings indicate that AI enhances diagnostic speed and accuracy, supports drug discovery efficiency, and improves healthcare accessibility. However, limitations such as data scarcity for rare diseases, potential biases in algorithms, and high energy consumption remain significant challenges. Real-world examples, including biased dermatology algorithms and AI-enabled imaging tools, illustrate both the transformative potential and risks of AI. Conclusion: AI has the capacity to revolutionize healthcare if guided by ethical frameworks, sustainable practices, and robust governance. Practical steps such as adopting federated learning to safeguard data privacy and investing in green AI technologies can ensure responsible innovation.