Balancing Opportunity and Risk: How Can AI Truly Benefit Children's Health?

This is a translation of Myo-Zin Nyunt’s interview, originally published by China Women’s News under the title "Balancing Opportunity and Risk: How Can AI Truly Benefit Children's Health."

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence technology has brought transformative potential to the field of child health. Yet as the world embraces these opportunities, growing attention is being paid to the risks, especially in safeguarding children’s rights. In a recent interview, Myo-Zin Nyunt, Deputy Regional Director of UNICEF East Asia and Pacific, shared insights into the application prospects of AI in child health, its potential challenges, and governance pathways - offering a deep dive into how to strike a balance between innovation and children's well-being. 

China Women’s News:  

What AI applications in healthcare are worth promoting in the future? What risk and challenges need to be noted? 

Myo-Zin Nyunt:  

UNICEF recognizes the great potential that AI systems have for supporting every child’s development.  

We are already seeing AI tools being used to detect disease outbreaks, support doctors in diagnosing illnesses, and recommend treatments. These tools can save lives, especially in places with limited healthcare workers. 

AI can also make a big difference for children with disabilities. Tools like speech recognition can help children with hearing or speech difficulties better connect with the world around them. AI systems are also showing potential in providing emotional support and early detection of mental health issues, though these applications must be approached with caution. 

At the same time, we must recognize the risks. AI systems can unintentionally exclude children, especially those in poor or remote areas, because they rely on data that may be biased or incomplete.  

When algorithms make decisions without human understanding, they can reinforce existing inequalities. In the words of a UN High Level Panel, we are forced to “rethink our understandings of human dignity and agency, as algorithms are increasingly sophisticated at manipulating our choices.”  

UNICEF’s review of 20 national AI policies shows that most governments are not yet considering children’s needs seriously enough. Child rights must go beyond education and privacy - they must be built into every part of AI design and use.  

There is little acknowledgement about how AI is likely to affect children and specific mentions of children’s rights tend to be limited to education, health and privacy, with little attention to broader impacts. 

Children often don’t know how their data is used, or how to challenge it. Children’s unique physical and psychological attributes require special consideration in the design and deployment of AI systems. Without this, we risk creating technologies that harm the very children we want to help. 

China Women’s News:  

What policy support is needed for the application of AI in healthcare? How can we enhance international collaboration in AI healthcare to bridge the digital and health divides? 

Myo-Zin Nyunt:  

Our understanding of how children interact with and are impacted by AI is still developing.  

What we do know is that AI will transform children’s lives, for better or for worse. Our collective actions on AI today are critical for shaping a future that children deserve.  

AI can help bring better healthcare to more children -especially in places that are hard to reach. But this can only happen if the right policies are in place – policies that protect rights, promote fairness, and make sure no child is left behind.  

This includes safe data use, clear accountability, ethical use and fair access to digital infrastructure for both individuals and households. 

We also need good systems to monitor what is working and what is not, so we can learn and keep improving. UNICEF is already supporting countries across the region to build these kinds of frameworks. For example, in Mongolia, UNICEF helped guide ethical use of AI tools in public services through e-Mongolia initiative.  

No country can do this alone - international collaboration is critical. We need shared standards, open-source tools, and cross-border learning platforms to make sure AI can work across borders and benefit more people. UNICEF urges governments, the private sector, academics, and development agencies to work together to co-create solutions that are safe, ethical, and made for real-world needs. 

As a global leader in AI, China has a big role to play. Its experience in scaling digital health tools while balancing innovation and regulation offers lessons for the world. Moreover, China can play a catalytic role in South-South cooperation, helping other countries build capacity and find local solutions through South-South cooperation. 

Together, we can make sure AI bridges the health and digital divides – and does not widen them. 

China Women’s News:  

What principles need to be followed in the governance of AI healthcare? What standards need to be adopted? What consensus needs to be reached? 

Myo-Zin Nyunt:  

AI is shaping our future - but we must make sure it protects children. That is why in 2021 UNICEF released the AI for Children Policy Guidance. This guidance helps governments and businesses put children’s rights at the center of AI policies, products, and services.  

We have introduced the concept of child-centered AI. This means thinking about children from the very beginning - when algorithms are designed and throughout the system’s use. 

Our guidance outlines nine principles, including: Supporting children’s development and well-being; Ensuring inclusion of children; Protecting children’s privacy and safety; Ensuring fairness and transparency for children; Helping governments, businesses, and children themselves understand and use AI safely. These principles are just the starting point.  

As technology evolves, we need to keep learning and improving. We hope others will build on this guidance and adapt it to real-world use. Together, we need to come together and agree on a global approach- to make sure AI in healthcare works in the best interests of children.  

Let’s shape AI with children in mind, so that innovation becomes a force for equity and impact – and not exclusion or harm.