Transforming E-Collaboration with AI and Emerging Digital Technologies

Abstract

This chapter highlights how Artificial Intelligence (AI) integrated with health informatics and e-collaborative platforms is reshaping public health, particularly by narrowing the persistent divide between rural and urban healthcare systems. The findings demonstrate that AI-driven tools significantly enhance disease surveillance, predictive analytics, clinical decision-making, and equitable access to health information and services. While urban areas adopt AI more rapidly due to stronger infrastructure and digital literacy, rural communities also show substantial readiness, especially where mHealth initiatives, community participation, and government support converge. Association and correlation analyses reveal that socioeconomic factors including income, digital literacy, and trust in digital systems strongly influence AI adoption, emphasizing the need for targeted capacity-building and awareness programs

The study further underscores the socio-technical nature of AI deployment, highlighting the importance of collaborative governance among policymakers, healthcare providers, technologists, NGOs, and local communities. Ethical considerations such as data privacy, transparency, and algorithmic fairness remain critical, particularly in low-resource settings. The chapter concludes that future AI integration should prioritize context-specific, hybrid implementation models backed by robust policy frameworks, interoperability standards, and continuous evaluation. When supported by inclusive and ethically grounded strategies, AI has the potential to drive sustainable, equitable, and transformative healthcare delivery across diverse populations