Artificial intelligence (AI) tools could begin handling parts of routine hospital documentation this year, according to Roy Jakobs, chief executive officer of Philips. In an exclusive email interview with HT ahead of the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, Jakobs said Philips expects “AI agents” to take on certain non-clinical tasks within hospital software systems, including transcription and drafting reports.
“This year alone, we can expect to see ‘AI agents’ take on non-clinical work within clinical software and imaging systems, from ambient voice transcription to drafting report conclusions and supporting workflows,” he said.
He added that the aim is to allow clinicians to spend less time on administrative work and more time on patient care.
Jakobs will travel to India to attend the AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam from February 16 to 20, where healthcare uses of AI are expected to be a key area of discussion.
Philips, once widely known for lighting and home appliances, has over the past two decades moved its focus to healthcare technology. Its portfolio now includes imaging systems such as MRI and CT scanners, patient monitoring devices, sleep and respiratory care products, and hospital software platforms.
The company has been integrating AI tools across these systems. At its Capital Markets Day on February 10, Philips laid out a plan to deliver mid-single-digit annual sales growth and expand margins to the mid-teens by 2028. The company said AI-powered platform innovations in areas such as image-guided therapy, monitoring and precision diagnosis will be key growth drivers. Philips plans to maintain R&D spending at around 9% of sales, focus on “fewer, bigger and better” innovations, and deliver €1.5 billion in additional productivity savings over the next three years, alongside stronger commercial execution and regional manufacturing expansion to manage tariffs.
At the Capital Markets Day, Jakobs said that in healthcare, AI is designed to augment clinicians rather than replace them, describing it not as a threat but as an opportunity to deliver better and more care. .
“…the opportunity is clear. Healthcare systems are under growing strain, and AI has the potential to fundamentally improve how care is delivered. Our focus is on responsible AI that works seamlessly in the background, integrated across devices, software, and workflows. By connecting data and care across settings, Philips is positioned to turn AI into scalable impact that enables better care for more people,” Jakobs told HT.
Amid broader global concerns about AI replacing jobs across sectors, Jakobs says the technology will play more of an assistive role in healthcare. “AI is designed to support and extend clinical expertise, not replace it,” he said.
In practice, that means automating tasks such as typing notes, summarising scans or preparing standard report drafts, jobs that can take up a significant part of a clinician’s day. Research has also linked heavy administrative work to stress and burnout among doctors. A 2025 qualitative study of 36 family physicians in Ontario found that paperwork and other non-clinical tasks reduced time for patient care and negatively affected doctors’ well-being.
As per the Philips Future Health Index 2025 (FHI), India’s report indicates that healthcare professionals recognise AI’s potential to help reduce administrative burden, assist in disease diagnosis, potentially reduce avoidable hospital readmissions, and support improved patient outcomes.
India plans
Jakobs described India as important to the company’s AI efforts. Philips already has a sizeable presence in the country. According to the company’s 2024 annual report, the company operates one of its four global innovation hubs in Bengaluru, alongside sites in the Netherlands, the US and China. Philips, as of the 2024 report, has over 8,000 employees in India.
“India plays a strategically important role in Philips’ global AI journey,” he said. He added that the “scale, diversity, and complexity of healthcare delivery in India provide invaluable real-world insights,” and that solutions co-created and tested in India often inform how we design and scale AI globally.
However, Jakobs said AI tools developed in Europe or the US cannot simply be deployed unchanged in India and must be adapted to local conditions. That includes validating systems on representative local data, integrating them into existing hospital workflows, and ensuring strong clinical oversight.
When asked what India is currently doing right in its approach to AI policy, Jakobs pointed to government-led digital health initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission, built on the country’s Digital Public Infrastructure, as signs of India’s push toward more accessible and technology-enabled healthcare.
He said Philips supports and participates in the India AI Mission and works with government stakeholders and public hospitals across the country.
Commenting on where India needs to stay focused, he said the digitisation of health records could be a “game changer”, adding that interoperable systems and ABHA digital health IDs could allow patient information to move across facilities and over time.
“When clinicians can see a patient’s medical history — regardless of where they sought care — it leads to better decisions, earlier interventions, and improved outcomes,” Jakobs said, calling nationwide digital records “the next major paradigm shift in healthcare,” which India is “well positioned to lead.”
He added that governance models should protect patient privacy, and pointed to approaches such as federated learning, which allow AI models to improve without sensitive health data leaving hospitals.
Regulation
On regulation, Jakobs said AI used in healthcare should be built with safeguards and accountability. Rather than focusing on how tools are classified, he said the company prioritises “clear guidelines, strong governance and accountability.”
For example, under the EU’s AI Act, high-risk AI systems such as AI-based software intended for medical purposes must comply with several requirements, including risk-mitigation systems, high-quality data sets, clear user information and human oversight.
In 2023, the Indian Council of Medical Research published ethical guidelines for the application of AI in biomedical research and healthcare, providing a framework for developing, deploying, and adopting AI-based solutions. However, India currently doesn’t have a legal framework for AI in healthcare.
On being asked about the cost of waiting too long to regulate AI, he said, “Waiting too long to put guardrails in place risks fragmentation, loss of trust, and uneven adoption,” adding that he calls for “adaptive regulation”—frameworks that evolve alongside technology while keeping patient safety at the centre.
AI’s impact may extend outside hospitals as well. “The biggest impact will come from extending care beyond hospital walls,” he said, adding that AI can help identify at-risk populations, support early detection of chronic diseases and enable continuous monitoring through connected devices and digital health platforms.