Empowering Minds, Nurturing Lives: AI for a Thriving, Equitable Future

Gertie and Jan, both nexuzhealth and Smartschool handle vast amounts of data. How vast?

Gertie Delande: The nexuzhealth platform processes a staggering 650 million transactions every day. This massive volume comes from our customers and their customers: an extensive network of hospitals, care
professionals and the patients they serve. Currently, we run in over 26% of Belgian hospitals and healthcare
institutions, with over 1.4 million people using the mynexuzhealth mobiel app.

Jan Schuer: Today, Smartschool runs in more than 2000 Belgian schools, with a user count of over 2.9 million. The platform operates across more than 1,000+ servers, all in private datacenters. I once calculated that if you were to print all student record cards generated annually and string them together, they would wrap around the globe, and then some!

"The nexuzhealth platform processes a staggering 400 million transactions every day."

2023 was the year of AI. How has this impacted on your
work?

Gertie Delande: AI has profoundly changed the game, but it comes with serious challenges. The main hurdle is transforming massive datasets into what we call ‘gold’ data – high-quality, well-structured information that AI can work with. While there are plenty of small-scale AI experiments going on, fully integrating AI across an entire organization is not so common. Usually because the data is not gold, but silver or bronze. That’s why the AI division at Cegeka is still hard at work setting up data platforms, laying the groundwork.

Jan Schuer: There’s a quote by futurist Roy Amara that I like to remember: “We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run.” There’s a lot of talk about ChatGPT in education, but I think we’re not fully appreciating what AI can do beyond its use in Generative AI. That’s why, at Smartschool, we’re working on something with potentially a much bigger impact.

Are you referring to the citizen science project Smart
Signal?

Jan Schuer: Yes. Since last year, we’ve gotten the ball rolling on the ‘Smart Signal’ Project (‘Slim Signaal’ in
Dutch). In this tool – set to undergo testing in several schools next academic year – an AI algorithm is being
trained to spot patterns in student data that might indicate a potential drop in learning performance. The
aim is to nip problems in the bud before they lead to student fallout. That’s our priority: ensuring every student reaches their full potential, without slipping through the cracks.

"The aim of ‘Smart Signal’ is to nip problems in the bud before they lead to student fallout."

‘Smart Signal’ isn’t just about identifying these patterns; it’s also about enabling the appropriate response. Who needs to be alerted? When and how? And what next? Setting up a system is one thing; making sure it’s
followed up correctly is another challenge entirely. I can’t stress enough how cautiously we’re approaching this. Together with the regional pedagogical support teams of the school networks we will guide schools through this process, with ethical values in mind.

Gertie, do you have the same concerns at nexuzhealth?

Gertie Delande: Absolutely, in a sense. The crucial aspect lies in deciding which data should be shared with whom and when. After all, spotting patterns and issuing alerts serves little purpose if there’s no one on the receiving end ready to take action. Healthcare adds another layer of complexity since citizens are custodians of their data and can choose to shield certain information. While this is great for privacy, it obstructs the comprehensive view.

You know, it might not sound glamorous, but I believe that we can keep many people healthy with ‘if-thenelse’ logic. Simply deploying AI because it’s trendy isn’t sensible. Pragmatic innovation is all about timing: implementing the right solution and technology at the right moment. AI isn’t always the ultimate solution, especially if it is not integrated into existing frameworks and if protocols for handling its output aren’t established.

"I believe that we can keep many people healthy with ‘if-then-else’ logic."

I suppose what we’re both really trying to stress is that AI makes sense when it’s relevant, effective, and impactful. It’s not something to rush into or treat as a passing trend.

Gertie, can you give examples of tools that you successfully integrated? 

Gertie Delande: We’ve collaborated on projects with Byteflies on telemonitoring – an area where I believe
AI can genuinely shine, benefiting both patients and hospitals. Another project is Wintermute, a smart
signaling system tailored for healthcare. Hospitals can customize it as a module in the EHR according to their needs. These things can have an impact, straightaway.

“Impact” is a term you both frequently mention.

Jan Schuer: What binds us together is a deep-rooted commitment to society. It may sound like a cliché, but it’s genuine. Smartschool is my passion project – I started it as a student, and here we are, 25 years down the line. While we do operate as a business, both of us are driven by a dedication to making a meaningful difference. That’s why we don’t view things solely through a technological lens – because we’re making tools for people. We take a wider view: how can we use technology responsibly for the good of society?

Gertie Delande: That’s precisely what distinguishes us from what I refer to as the fly-by-night operators. These are companies that latch onto the latest healthcare trends with flashy niche tools or dashboards, often without considering the bigger picture. In our case, if a tool can’t seamlessly integrate with the Electronic Health Record (EPD or Elektronisch Patiëntendossier in Dutch), it lacks practicality. True impact occurs when every component fits seamlessly into the larger system.

"True impact occurs when every component fits seamlessly into the larger system."