From AI hype to human impact: Philips’ Peter Skillman on the future of healthcare ...Saudi Arabia

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping healthcare, but Peter Skillman believes the technology should never become the destination. In an interview at LEAP in Riyadh, the Global Head of Design at Royal Philips said its true value lies in solving tangible problems: reducing the administrative burden on healthcare professionals, improving clinical workflows, enabling patients to return home sooner and extending high-quality care beyond major cities.“AI is just a technology,” Skillman said. “The real opportunity is always to start by working backwards from the customer and understanding their needs.”This human-centred philosophy guides Philips’ approach to AI across its businesses, from sophisticated medical imaging and clinical decision support to connected care and personal health. Rather than introducing technology for its own sake, the company begins by identifying the need it is trying to address and asking whether AI can deliver a meaningfully better experience for patients and healthcare professionals.Skillman illustrated this approach through SmartHeart, an AI-enabled solution for cardiac MRI. By using available clinical information to simplify the imaging workflow, the technology can reduce a process that previously required approximately 130 clicks to as few as three. It is a practical example of how AI can reduce complexity and allow clinicians to devote more time and attention to patient care.Philips is also applying AI to remote cardiac monitoring through ePatch. Following certain heart procedures, patients may be able to leave hospital earlier while wearing the patch, which continuously monitors them for up to 14 days. The collected data can be analysed remotely, allowing care teams to identify anomalies and call a patient back for assessment if a potential concern appears.According to Skillman, this model can improve the patient experience while supporting better outcomes and reducing the cost of care. It reflects a broader shift from episodic hospital-based treatment towards connected care that continues after the patient returns home.Generative AI is also changing how healthcare organisations analyse challenges and develop solutions. During recent meetings with technology leaders at Saudi healthcare institutions, including SMC and Dallah Hospital, Skillman used a purpose-built AI agent to capture their operational pain points and rapidly develop detailed reports, narrative structures, visual storyboards and implementation roadmaps.The material was produced in Arabic, adapted to the Saudi cultural context and supported by locally relevant imagery. What would traditionally require considerable time and coordination was completed within minutes, demonstrating how generative AI can accelerate planning and help organisations move more quickly from identifying a challenge to designing a possible solution.Yet Skillman cautioned against allowing enthusiasm for AI to overshadow the fundamental purpose of healthcare. Recalling a conversation about the ambition to develop an “AI hospital,” he offered a different framing: “Please don’t build an AI hospital. Instead, build a human hospital where you deliver better care for more people.”The distinction is important. Technology can strengthen a healthcare system, but it should not define its purpose. The priority must remain the experience, safety and well-being of patients, as well as the ability of healthcare professionals to provide effective care.Keeping humans accountableAs AI becomes more involved in clinical workflows, responsible adoption will require strong safeguards. Skillman highlighted principles including well-being, fairness, transparency, trust and sustainability. Some relate directly to patient safety, while others address broader ethical and environmental considerations.Transparency is particularly important in clinical settings. Whenever a recommendation is generated by AI, healthcare professionals should be able to recognise it immediately. Skillman suggested using consistent visual cues—such as a distinctive icon, label or colour—to clearly identify AI-supported outputs within clinical interfaces.Human oversight must also remain central. If an AI system recommends a potentially high-risk clinical action, the interface should require the qualified healthcare professional to review and actively confirm the decision. AI can inform clinical judgement, but it should not remove professional accountability or control.Expanding access beyond major cities AI and connected technologies also have the potential to address disparities in access to healthcare. In a geographically large country such as Saudi Arabia, delivering specialist services beyond major urban centres can be challenging. Skillman believes remote monitoring, virtual collaboration and more flexible diagnostic technologies can help distribute clinical expertise more effectively.Tele-ICU solutions, for example, allow specialists to monitor patients remotely and provide guidance to healthcare teams in other locations. This gives hospitals access to expertise that may not always be available on site and can strengthen the support provided to clinicians serving remote communities.Skillman also pointed to Philips BlueSeal MRI technology, which uses a virtually helium-free magnet. Its lighter and more flexible infrastructure makes MRI systems easier to install and potentially suitable for mobile configurations, helping bring advanced imaging closer to patients who live far from established medical centres.Another example is Philips’ work with the Gates Foundation on AI-enabled ultrasound. The technology can guide a less-experienced operator through the scanning process, after which the images can be reviewed remotely and used to provide expert clinical guidance.Each solution addresses a different part of the access challenge. Together, however, they demonstrate how connected care pathways can extend the reach of specialists and diagnostic services. “Across the scale of what Philips does, we can really help support remote access to care,” Skillman said. “I’d love to see us do even more in Saudi Arabia.”Unlocking health data responsibly Realising AI’s potential also depends on the secure and effective use of health data. Skillman observed that Saudi Arabia has strong safeguards governing patient information and data sovereignty. These requirements have encouraged many hospitals to establish and maintain their own on-premises data centres.While this provides direct control over sensitive information, it can also be expensive and operationally demanding. Skillman believes there may be opportunities to work with trusted cloud providers capable of delivering secure, tightly controlled infrastructure while ensuring that health data remains within the Kingdom and complies with Saudi requirements.The objective, he explained, should be to preserve rigorous standards for privacy, security and data sovereignty while reducing unnecessary friction. A regulatory environment that protects patients while allowing responsible flexibility could help healthcare institutions access scalable infrastructure and accelerate innovation.Collaboration around a shared goal No organisation can deliver this transformation alone. Government entities, healthcare providers and technology companies each bring distinct capabilities to the healthcare ecosystem. Government provides national direction and regulation; hospitals and clinicians contribute medical expertise and an understanding of patient needs; and technology companies provide platforms, tools and innovation.For Skillman, these participants must remain aligned around one shared objective: delivering better care to more people.Philips sees itself as a partner serving healthcare providers, patients and the Kingdom, he said—not as the party directing the transformation. Its role is to contribute its strongest technology while remaining responsive to Saudi Arabia’s healthcare priorities, regulatory environment and cultural context.Ultimately, the responsible future of AI in healthcare will not be measured by how prominently the technology is displayed, but by whether it makes care safer, more accessible and more human. That requires innovation grounded in genuine needs, clinicians who remain informed and accountable, and partnerships capable of translating technological potential into lasting impact for patients.

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