Pauliina Valpas: The 1st of 3 Reflections on the AIFertility Conference in Beautiful Cascais
Pauliina Valpas, CCO at OTO Fertility, shared on LinkedIn:
”A little late to the party, but this is the first of three reflections on the AIFertility conference in beautiful Cascais. With the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) annual meeting around the corner, perhaps the timing works perfectly.
Throughout the conference, the conversation revolved around people rather than technology. I noticed this through a different lens from most people in the room: I have no medical training, but I have spent 10+ years in health tech as the customer’s voice, wearing both CXO and CCO hats.
Speakers were less interested in what an algorithm or a robot can do than in what it changes for patients, clinicians and care teams: better outcomes, a more personal and optimised experience, more time with patients and, as Eduardo Hariton pointed out, a lower cost per baby, which opens treatment to more people.
None of that happens unless people trust AI enough to embrace it. Elizabeth Grill made this case in her talk on moving from resistance to readiness, and I left convinced that progress hinges on people, not technology.
Fertility care is conservative for good reason, and that caution protects patients and professionals alike.
What will move things forward is investing in organisational culture, skills and confidence, so that clinicians and care teams welcome the tools and patients can feel how AI delivers better outcomes and better experiences.
Thank you, Dr. Cristina Hickman and Nikica Zaninovic, for bringing us together in the conference room, on the boat and at the beach. I’ll be back next year for sure.”
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