AI for Humanity: India and France Launch New Health Partnership in Delhi

Recently a big breaking news has been published officially. India and France took a most crucial step for walking together in the long run in the healthcare and technology sectors. Union Minister Shri J.P. Nadda and French president Emmanuel Macron recently officially opened the Indo-French French Centre for the Artificial Intelligence in Health (IF-CAIH) at AIIMS, New Delhi that was introduced on February 18, 2026. This new centre is strongly focusing on artificial intelligence and this will improve further health services, medical research and education. The new centre is created to develop AI driven solutions that are related to health problems which can be easily solved by using AI. In recent times, It is observed that many countries are currently facing serious issues like, high amount of diseases are getting increased day by day along with mental issues and shortage of trained doctors are also witnessed. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) released data showing a significant increase in the prevalence of mental health disorders in India. In 2023, suicide cases increased, particularly among males, who accounted for 72.8% of the total. Tele MANAS handled over almost 28 lakhs calls by October 2025 and this reflects that there is a growing distress among the population in India. In France, during the year 2025, mental health was declared as a “Grande Cause Nationale” Approximately 13 million people experienced mental health issues during this time. Therefore there has been a significant rise in hospital visits for suicidal thoughts and anxiety among the adults in France. So, from this situation it can be observed that France was experiencing the highest risk of depression specifically for the older adults during 2025. In order to overcome this situation, the AI will help doctors to diagnose diseases faster with improved treatment plans and also can manage the hospital systems better. Using this centre India and France will work together and new practical solutions will be established from here to combat these problems. A special Academy event called "RUSH 2026" was held at AIIMS on February 18th to 29th, where this centre was officially launched. Many expert scientists, doctors and policy makers are involved in this event. Multiple important are being discussed among them, prominently on AI in brain health, digital healthcare systems and global health challenges. The aim of the event was not only to combine knowledge or discussions. Rather to get an experience from both the nations. An agreement has been established between AIIMS New Delhi, Sorbonne University, and the Paris Brain Institute. Apart from these institutes mentioned, other information is also coming up like IIT Delhi and other French institutions will also support on research works. This centre is not only for the AI research hub, rather it is looking for an opportunity where the students and researchers will get their buried opinions and can share their ideas to build various new technologies. During this event President Emmanuel Macron observed and pointed out that India and France must build the trusted AI systems. This new partnership shows that India and France are committed to building strong healthcare systems using safe, ethical, and innovative AI technologies for the future.