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Healthcare innovation is about giving doctors, nurses and caregivers better tools to serve patients. In cancer treatment alone, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) can improve treatment planning to become 2.5 times more effective. It saves lives.
When technology helps a physician diagnose an illness sooner, allows a nurse to spend more time at the bedside or makes it easier for hospitals to operate efficiently that’s better healthcare. Plain and simple.
I led one of South Carolina’s largest healthcare systems. I saw technology and scientific breakthroughs help save lives, time and time again. Now, AI is driving many of those breakthroughs. It supports healthcare providers as they treat patients and helps hospitals make better use of limited resources. Anyone who has worked in healthcare knows there are never enough hours in the day. Technology can give caregivers more time with patients instead of paperwork. That’s a win for everyone.
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And the opportunities afforded by AI extend well beyond hospitals and doctors’ offices. It can improve the health of our local economies as well. The digital infrastructure that powers AI is creating high-quality trade jobs for carpenters, electricians and welders. Data centers across the state are attracting private investment and opening new career pathways in engineering, construction, information technology and skilled trades all benefiting local communities.
We’ve seen before what happens when industries invest in our state. Manufacturing transformed communities across the Upstate and beyond creating careers that have supported families for generations. The same potential exists with AI and the advanced computing infrastructure behind it if we are willing to compete for those opportunities.
The competition is real and it’s coming fast. China is investing aggressively to become the global leader in AI and advanced computing. If America slows its commitment to innovation while our competitors accelerate theirs, we risk losing not only technological leadership but also the jobs, investment and discoveries that come with it.
That should concern every South Carolinian.
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Medical breakthroughs and economic growth increasingly depend on our ability to develop and deploy advanced technologies here at home where we can trust the quality and access it quickly when we need it most. No family wants to languish by a loved one’s bedside because the technology or treatment to save them is overseas. Policies that encourage investment in AI and modern data infrastructure will help ensure those critical breakthroughs happen right here in the United States.
South Carolina has every reason to be part of the AI success story. We have world-class healthcare providers, outstanding colleges and universities and a workforce known for rolling up its sleeves and getting the job done. By embracing innovation while preparing workers for the jobs it creates, we can strengthen both our economy and our healthcare system.
The promise of AI should not be measured only by faster computers or more sophisticated software. It should be measured by what it means for the family waiting anxiously for a diagnosis, the rural hospital working to stretch every dollar and the young person graduating from a South Carolina high school who wants to build a meaningful career without leaving home.
When innovation is developed here in America and supported by thoughtful public policy, its benefits reach far beyond the technology itself. Leaders should seize the chance to strengthen our communities, improve healthcare and leave the next generation with an even stronger foundation than the one we inherited.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Ingo Angermeier is the former president and CEO of Spartanburg Regional Medical Center.
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SOUND OFF…
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