Welsh minister for mental health and wellbeing Sarah Murphy outlined the impact of AI in Welsh healthcare, and further set out her plan to harness its capabilities safely at the Digging Deeper Conference at the International Conference Centre In Newport.

Already, AI-assisted is supporting faster identification of conditions like stroke, prostate, and breast cancer across the NHS in Wales, leading to quicker referral to treatments before diseases progress.

The first of its kind in Wales, the conference brought united the public sector with industry leaders, practitioners, and experts, to explore the use of AI in healthcare while being responsible and ethical.

Exhibitions demonstrated advanced analytics to support clinical decision making, surgical video capture, AI tools to assist in the diagnosis of skin cancer and computer-aided evaluated of x-ray and CT scans.

The minister’s speech highlighted Welsh AI infrastructure that is already on its way, such as the development of a data centre in Newport and the Hartree Centre at Cardiff University, as well as Wales’ commitment to collaborate with the UK government to deliver the AI Opportunities Action Plan, which is expected to deliver thousands of jobs across the sector.

Sarah Murphy said: “Wales played a pivotal role in shaping the last industrial revolution, and we are determined to play an equally important role in this one too.

“Our growing tech sector, strong academic institutions, and commitment to a green economy means we are ideally placed.”

Ms. Murphy also highlighted the need for continuous collaboration between government, industry leaders, and healthcare professionals to ensure AI usage remains ethical and keeps the Welsh people and what it can do for them at its core.