BMJ Future Health Podcast

Slang, Accents, and Algorithms: Teaching AI to Understand Real Patients - Dr. Bilal Mateen

How safe are the new wave of AI scribes? To what extent do large tech companies use their influence to push you toward specific solutions - be it a drug, a surgery, or a product? And what does the rise of anglocentric Large Language Models mean for communities in places like Kenya, Rwanda, and Pakistan.
 
Join Cat and Maxine as they tackle Ambient Voice Technology research and interview Dr. Bilal Mateen, Chief AI Officer at PATH, about the practical and ethical hurdles of implementing state-of-the-art technologies in diverse global settings.
 
- How much information do AI scribes pick up? - How does the business model of an AI tool affect its recommendations? - What is the surprising connection between "pieces of meat" and LLMs? (Tune in to hear the full metaphor.)Chapters:00:00 - Introduction02:26 - AI Scribes: Promise & Pitfalls04:58 - Welcoming Dr. Bilal Mateen06:32 - Bilal’s Story: Water Bottle & Early Inspiration08:21 - Reflections on Jane Goodall & Global Health10:05 - What Does a Chief AI Officer Do?13:10 - Generative AI in Low-Resource Settings19:47 - Anglocentrism in LLM-Based Tools25:56 - Data Colonialism30:26 - Community Voices & Closing ThoughtsCompeting Interests for Bilal Mateen: Employed by PATH, an American International NGO. Honorary Professorial Chair at the University of Birmingham in Machine Learning for Health. Occasional unpaid advisory roles for the World Health Organisation. Doesn’t own stocks and shares in any individual company.
Resources and Links:
BMJ Future Health Eventhttps://futurehealth.bmj.com/ 
Clinical AI Scribes in primary care: accuracy, error severity and implications for clinical practice | BMJ Digital Health & AI https://bmjdigitalhealth.bmj.com/content/1/1/e000092  
PATH: https://www.path.org/ 
Between Myths and Metaphors: Rethinking LLMs for SRH in Conservative Contextshttps://arxiv.org/abs/2511.01907 
"Koyi Sawaal Nahi Hai": Reimagining Maternal Health Chatbots for Collective, Culturally Grounded Care https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.27401 
Book Recommendation: High Noon: 20 Global Problems in 20 Years to Solve Them by Jean-François Rischard. 
People Mentioned:Jane Goodall (Ethologist and Conservationist)Jean-François Rischard (Vice President of the World Bank (1998 to 2005))Maryam Mustafa (Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer Science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan).Samuel Rutunda (CTO at Digital Umuganda, an AI company specialising in language technology for African languages)
Production:Assistant Producer: Brian Kennedy Producer: Brian O’Toole Senior Producer: Paul Simpson Exec Producer: Cat Bruce
Find more from BMJ Future Health on:- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bmj-future-health-podcast/id1739815865 - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2qrcv6rN2Xhli7VbZdnyAN - Podbean: https://bmjfuturehealth.podbean.com/ 

Coming soon: BMJ Future Health podcast

Welcome to the BMJ Future Health podcast!We're building a space for clear thinking about the future of health that's trusted and entertaining.Join hosts Dr. Cat (Schuster) Bruce and Dr. Maxine Mackintosh. We explore the facts and evidence in digital health and AI, but want to understand the field through the real stories of those involved.We cover everything from life sciences and research all the way to care and TikTok trends.Tune in for the insights, stay for the good anecdotes. Let's shape the future of health, together.
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