Health Communication in the Era of Artificial Intelligence
Pawan Koundal · 2026
The Covid-19 pandemic revealed the significance of health communication in addressing public health emergencies. In India, successful health campaigns focusing on AIDS and polio have shown that communication approaches aided by behavioural change theories work best. Such communication models use various media and approaches, including traditional media, radio, television, and new media. But in the current era, artificial intelligence (AI) is now considered to be a major tool for transforming the healthcare sector. As per the report by NASSCOM, the healthcare market, which is associated with AI technologies, is expected to grow by as much as six times in five years to touch $102.7 billion by 2028. The report also states that integrating data and AI into healthcare could contribute about $25 billion to India&s;s GDP by 2025 (quoted by Stanly, 2023 ). However, several challenges must be simultaneously tackled, such as the digital divide, concerns around data security, and the ethical concerns regarding using AI technologies, especially in the healthcare sector. This chapter explores health communication in the Indian context and investigates the potential application of technology, especially AI, in the healthcare sector.