Artificial intelligence needs better health systems to reduce inequalities

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies are increasingly prevalent in healthcare, yet without adaptive governance, even well-designed systems risk exacerbating health inequalities. This perspective examines five interconnected governance domains: legal frameworks, evidence generation, regulation and market access, workforce readiness, and public trust. We argue these form a cyclical governance chain in which weaknesses cascade across domains, and identify critical gaps and system-level reforms to ensure AI reduces rather than amplifies disparities.