WIC digital health working group to balance innovation protection and diffusion

During the 2026 World Internet Conference (WIC) Digital Silk Road Development Forum on July 22, Francis Gurry, vice-chair of the World Internet Conference, said in an interview that artificial intelligence is transforming every aspect of the health sector, from research and development to administration. He noted that the greatest opportunity lies in striking the right balance between protecting innovation and ensuring that its social benefits are widely shared.

The WIC Working Group on Digital and Intelligent Health was officially launched during the forum, aiming to be a standing platform for industrial collaboration, bringing together expertise from across the academic, research, industrial and medical communities to advance innovation in medical artificial intelligence and facilitate cross-border cooperation. Gurry said the working group will help promote a better balance between innovation protection and innovation diffusion, and make an important contribution to capacity building and international cooperation in digital health.