Large artificial intelligence companies are moving decisively into healthcare. What initially began as experimental tools for clinical support is rapidly evolving into structural involvement in care delivery, administration and decision-making. This shift is starting to reshape the balance of power across the global healthcare ecosystem and raises strategic questions for providers, policymakers and innovators alike.
From technology provider to system actor
International AI developers such as OpenAI and Anthropic are no longer positioning themselves solely as technology suppliers. They are developing dedicated healthcare-focused platforms that support clinical documentation, patient interaction, triage and workflow optimisation. These systems are increasingly embedded directly into electronic health record environments and hospital infrastructures, rather than operating as isolated applications.
This marks a fundamental shift. AI is becoming part of the operational backbone of healthcare organisations, influencing how care is organised, delivered and evaluated on a daily basis.
Implications for providers and innovators
For healthcare providers, the appeal lies in scalability, reliability and speed of implementation. Large AI players offer powerful models, extensive computational resources and the ability to rapidly iterate. At the same time, their growing influence raises concerns about long-term dependency, ownership of clinical data and alignment with public values such as transparency and accountability.
For digital health startups, the competitive landscape is changing fast. Many smaller companies are being pushed toward deeper specialisation, focusing on specific clinical domains, regional integration or validated outcomes rather than broad, horizontal platforms.
A strategic moment for Europe
For European healthcare systems, this development represents a strategic crossroads. The challenge is to harness innovation while safeguarding interoperability, public governance and technological sovereignty. Decisions made today will shape who controls the digital foundations of healthcare for years to come.
