Can Artificial Intelligence Predict Future Epidemics? Data Sharing as a Key to Transforming Epidemiological Surveillance

Climate change is reshaping the global map of health risks. The spread of vector-borne diseases (mosquitoes, ticks, etc.) and other climate-sensitive conditions, along with the emergence of new epidemic hotspots, are now unfolding within global and interconnected dynamics. In this context, the ability to anticipate crises increasingly depends on combining health data and climate data at the global level.

In the era of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) offers powerful tools to process these vast volumes of information, detect early warning signals, and refine predictive models to anticipate where and how future outbreaks may unfold. In doing so, it paves the way for more responsive epidemiological surveillance, better adapted to the impacts of climate change. 

Yet this promise rests on a crucial condition: access to high-quality, interoperable data governed in a responsible manner. Infrastructure and computing power remain unevenly distributed, while many countries in the Global South face challenges related to data fragmentation, storage capacity, and data sovereignty.

Following the United States’ formal withdrawal from the World Health Organization in January 2026 – and at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic had underscored the importance of international health cooperation –  a pressing question emerges: 

How can we build an international framework for sharing health data that enables the development of effective, inclusive AI tools – benefiting countries across the Global North and the Global South?

This roundtable will identify concrete pathways to build fair and effective international cooperation on data governance, tailored to the health challenges of a warming world.

The event will take place in two parts: a TechTalk (1 hour 15 minutes), followed by a Q&A session (30 minutes) with the audience, during which questions from remote participants will also be relayed.

The session will be conducted in French, with simultaneous interpretation in English.

Moderator:

• Claire Zanuso, Head of the Emerging Tech Lab at AFD

Speakers:

• Antoine Tesnière, CEO of PariSanté Campus
• Kathleen Victoir, Senior Scientific Officer at the Pasteur Network
• Renaud Piarroux, Professor of Medicine at Sorbonne University, Head of Department at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Epidemic Specialist
• Etienne Sévin, Complex Systems Architecture Specialist at Epiconcept