With Google funding, a multilingual AI assistant will improve access to care at Clalit
The voice platform will make healthcare services accessible to 5 million insured members and support unique dialects
Clalit Health Services and Google.org, the technology giant’s philanthropic arm, announced Monday a two-year, $2 million grant to develop and launch an AI-powered “digital front door.”
The project is intended to serve as an intelligent conversational assistant and digital platform for approximately 5 million patients from diverse communities, supporting them throughout their healthcare journey and enabling automated symptom intake and triage before visits to save valuable time for medical staff.
Clalit CEO Eitan Wertheim emphasized, “The support of Google.org and Google Cloud enables us to harness the world’s most advanced technology to ensure that every patient receives the best possible care, in their own language and in a way tailored to their needs.”
The new system, developed on Google’s cloud infrastructure and powered by advanced language models, is designed to bridge language and technology gaps by recognizing speech in local spoken dialects that are not supported by traditional written interfaces.
To ensure access for people who do not have an internet connection or smartphones, the voice tool will be integrated directly into landline phones and basic mobile devices, enabling appointment scheduling and follow-up instructions in users’ native languages. Boaz Maoz, CEO of Google Cloud Israel, noted: “AI has the potential to solve some of the most significant barriers to healthcare access. By implementing secure conversational AI tailored to local dialects and unique communication channels, Clalit is ensuring that the benefits of digital healthcare reach every community.”
On the security front, interactions involving insured members will operate under a stringent Zero Trust security model, with data fully encrypted and stripped of all identifying information to ensure complete anonymity. Once the pilot phase is complete, deployment will expand to all of the health fund’s clinics nationwide.
Clalit subsequently plans to publish the system architecture and cultural adaptation frameworks as an open-source model, enabling public healthcare organizations worldwide to replicate the system and make equitable healthcare accessible on a global scale.