Artificial Intelligence in the Metaverse: Transforming Health in Smart Cities

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the metaverse is revolutionizing healthcare in Smart City (SC)s, improving equity, efficiency, and efficacy. As urban populations increase along with the need for accessible healthcare, traditional healthcare systems struggle with challenges regarding scale, cost, and privacy of data. AI innovations in the metaverse (e.g. Extended Reality (XR), Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR), blockchain, Digital Twin (DT)s, the Internet of Things (IOT), and smart sensors) provide exciting solutions to these challenges. This paper examines AI’s impact on healthcare through innovations like remote diagnostics, personalized treatment plans, virtual consultations, and AI assisted surgery. It also discusses how SCs leverage these technologies to enhance patient care, reduce costs, and optimize resources. Additionally, it highlights barriers to AI implementation (e.g., ethical concerns, data privacy issues, regulatory challenges, and disparities in technology access). The paper concludes with a roadmap for the future, focusing on advancements in AI, immersive technologies, and secure data sharing that will shape healthcare evolution in SCs.