Press Release: New AI-Powered Global Health Atlas Unveiled to Expose Corruption in Health Systems

London [28.05.2025] – Today Transparency International Global Health unveils the Global Health Atlas, an innovative artificial intelligence tool designed to tackle corruption within health systems worldwide. Drawing on a comprehensive dataset of more than 13,000 media articles from around the globe, the Atlas offers an unprecedented window into how corruption manifests in healthcare and how it undermines access to vital services.

Corruption in the health sector is not merely a matter of poor governance; it is a matter of life and death. From informal payments and procurement fraud to the diversion of medicines and political interference, corruption at every level of the health system compromises care, wastes scarce resources, and erodes public trust. It obstructs timely treatment and leads to unnecessary suffering, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable communities.

The Global Health Atlas leverages cutting-edge AI to systematically identify and categorise public reporting of health-related corruption. Users can quickly determine where corruption is being reported, what specific forms it is taking, and how these practices are impacting people’s ability to receive medical care.

By making large-scale, complex data both accessible and actionable, the Atlas marks a significant step forward in the use of technology to drive transparency and accountability. It provides a vital tool for researchers, policymakers, civil society organisations, and journalists seeking to understand and respond to the systemic corruption that continues to threaten global health outcomes.

“The health atlas brings corruption out of the shadows and enables health professionals and policy makers to rapidly understand how corruption may be impacting the delivery of healthcare where they work,” said Jonathan Cushing, Programme Director at Transparency International Global Health. “By utilising AI we are able to rapidly collect and collate reports of corruption from media sources around the world, distilling a process that would have taken many months into an automated process that allows us to stay on top of emerging trends and threats to the delivery of essential health services.”

It can be found here: atlas.ti-health.org

The Global Health Atlas is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Data for the tool is provided by Newscatcher.