New York, NY —The Community Impact Policy Institute, the research and policy arm of Fedcap, today released a new white paper presenting a strategic framework for how artificial intelligence can transform prevention, strengthen public health systems, and improve population health outcomes. The report argues that AI has the potential to become one of the most important public health innovations of the 21st century if applied not only to treating disease, but also to preventing it.

Authored by Dr. Jay K. Varma, Senior Health Fellow at the Community Impact Policy Institute and Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President for Health at Fedcap, Why We Need More Investment in AI for Prevention and Public Health: The Largest Health Opportunity in a Generation Is Under-Funded examines how governments, healthcare systems, philanthropies, technology companies, and investors can work together to harness AI in ways that improve public health, strengthen community resilience, and prevent disease before it occurs.

While artificial intelligence is already transforming drug discovery, diagnostics, and healthcare delivery, the report argues that some of its greatest potential benefits remain largely untapped. From disease surveillance and outbreak response to chronic disease prevention, vaccination campaigns, environmental health monitoring, and public health communications, AI can help public health agencies and community organizations better anticipate, prevent, and respond to health challenges before they become crises.

The report examines what it describes as a critical imbalance in how AI is currently being deployed across the health sector. While significant attention has been devoted to applications that support clinical care and medical research, comparatively little focus has been placed on prevention and public health—the areas historically responsible for many of the greatest improvements in life expectancy and population health.

Among the report’s key findings:

• AI could significantly strengthen disease surveillance, outbreak detection, and emergency response capabilities.
• Public health agencies can leverage AI to improve vaccination campaigns, chronic disease prevention efforts, and community health outreach.
• AI can help communities better anticipate and respond to environmental and climate-related health threats.
• The technology can improve public health communications and free professionals from repetitive administrative tasks, allowing greater focus on community engagement and decision-making.
• Governments, healthcare systems, philanthropies, technology companies, and investors each have a role to play in ensuring AI serves population health and prevention goals.

This effort is part of Civic Health, Fedcap's new initiative advancing innovation at the intersection of technology, public health, and community well-being through its tech and innovation hub, Civic Hall.

The paper presents a series of recommendations aimed at accelerating the responsible use of AI in prevention and public health, including modernizing public health infrastructure, supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, strengthening public-private collaboration, developing common technology standards, and ensuring that AI is deployed in ways that enhance public trust and human expertise.

“Artificial intelligence has the potential to fundamentally reshape how we think about health and not simply how we treat illness, but how we prevent it in the first place,” said Christine McMahon, President and CEO of Fedcap. “This report provides a practical framework for policymakers, public health leaders, technology innovators, and philanthropies to leverage AI in ways that strengthen communities, improve population health, and build a more resilient future. The greatest opportunity may not be in treating disease more effectively, but in preventing it altogether.”

The report also highlights the importance of building the governance, workforce capacity, and public trust necessary to ensure AI is deployed responsibly. It argues that AI should augment—not replace—the expertise of public health professionals and should be developed with transparency, accountability, and equity at its core.

A full copy of the report can be found here.