All Saudis should have access to AI health-monitoring tech, says Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed

Arab News

05-02-2025

RIYADH: All Saudis should have access to artificial intelligence technology that monitors their health in real time, Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed told Arab News in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.
'Every Saudi citizen should have a real-time AI-driven health dashboard tracking metabolic markers, predictive disease risks, and lifestyle optimization strategies,' said the founder and CEO of KBW Ventures on the sidelines of the Global Healthspan Summit in Riyadh, which has Arab News as a media partner.
'We can also incentivize longevity-focused R&D. Governments should treat health-tech startups like they treat defense contractors: Fund them, fast-track them, and make breakthroughs happen.'
The prince and investor spoke about the idea of extending the healthy lifespan of the Saudi population, which is a key focus of the two-day summit.
'Aging isn't the onset of disease; it's the failure of medicine to treat the root cause. We've been conditioned to believe that heart disease, Alzheimer's, and metabolic disorders are just part of 'getting older.' That's like saying a car breaking down after 100,000 miles is inevitable. It's not; it's a mechanical failure due to wear and tear.'
In addition, the financial stress on economies is not from people living longer, the CEO believes, but rather from people living sick longer.
'Healthcare systems are designed to treat disease, not prevent it. We spend trillions on end-stage care instead of investing in tech that keeps people healthy for longer. The longer people stay active, productive, and self-sufficient, the better it is for the economy,' he said.
According to Prince Khaled, a healthy population is not a burden but an economic accelerator.
He continued: 'What happens when we add 20 high-performance years to a person's life instead of 20 years of dependency? We flip healthcare from an expense to an investment.'
The problem, he said, is governments and legacy institutions that treat healthcare as an expense instead of a growth sector.
However, to change this perspective, longevity should be a national priority, as should investing in new technology to extend healthy lifespans, he added.
'The same way governments invest in infrastructure and energy security, we should be funding longevity tech, AI-driven medicine, and regenerative therapies,' Prince Khalid said.
He added: 'We need to overhaul preventative healthcare. Move from a 'treat once sick' model to a 'predict and prevent' model.'
Another idea the CEO raised was leveraging Saudi Arabia as a biotech corridor.
Saudi Arabia could be presented to the world as a global hub for longevity research, 'offering regulatory flexibility, AI-powered clinical trials, and public-private partnerships that make biotech innovation move faster,' he said.
A healthier population will drive productivity, innovation, and economic expansion like never before, he added.
Furthermore, the future of health is not exclusively held by hospitals but by algorithms. With advanced technology, Prince Khaled suggested, AI will design personalized longevity plans for every individual by detecting disease before any symptoms appear.
'AI isn't replacing doctors — it's making every citizen their own health CEO. We should be running simulations of every human body and predicting health outcomes before they happen. The data exists. We just need AI to make sense of it,' he said.
While the country is developing and advancing with a number of megaprojects, the CEO believes that the government could build the world's first longevity-first city as well, where AI can play a significant role in optimizing public health, fostering genetic research, and reversing the effects of aging.
'With AI-driven biotech, the Kingdom can lead in regenerative medicine, gene editing, and age-reversal therapies. A 100-year lifespan shouldn't be a burden — it should be an advantage,' he said.
'The future of Saudi health isn't about more hospitals and doctors. It's about AI-driven longevity, proactive medicine, and ensuring every Saudi lives healthier for longer.'
When aging is viewed as an unsolvable problem, it becomes so, Prince Khaled said. However, if it is treated as an engineering challenge, it can be solved.
In a final note, Prince Khaled said: 'The countries that prioritize longevity will dominate the global economy.'