The findings were presented during a stakeholder meeting held in Lilongwe on 25 September 2026 to review results from the first phase of the study, assess progress and chart the way forward, including further validation through a planned randomised controlled trial.

Launched in April 2026 at the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS), the MOOVE study is assessing the safety, clinical soundness, contextual relevance and reliability of AI models in supporting clinical decision-making in primary healthcare.

Principal Investigator for the study, Dr Chiyembekezo Kachimanga, said the first-phase findings provide encouraging evidence of the models’ performance based on comparisons with human experts.

“The responses from the research are safe, and they are performing at the same level as human experts in Malawi,” he said.

Kachimanga said six AI models, including ChatGPT and Gemini, had been evaluated using 200 hypothetical clinical cases. The responses were assessed for clinical soundness, safety, contextual relevance and confidence.

Speaking at the meeting, Executive Dean of the School of Science and Technology (SOST) at MUBAS, Associate Professor Mphatso Kamndaya, said the meeting marked an important step in reviewing the study’s initial findings and preparing for the next phase of evaluation.

He said the study would proceed to a randomised controlled trial to further validate the results and generate stronger evidence on the potential use of AI in primary healthcare.

Also speaking at the event, Professor Ann Hartley, Director of the Laboratory for Intelligent Global Health and Humanitarian Response Technologies (LIGHT) at the Swiss Institute of Technology, emphasised the importance of local ownership and appropriate regulation of AI to ensure that the technology responds to Malawi’s healthcare needs and is used responsibly.

“Officials have the responsibility to ensure there is public ownership of the public good (AI) and that it is regulated in the right way to be owned locally,” she said.

Director of Quality Management and Digital Health in the Ministry of Health, Dr Andrew Gonani, commended the MOOVE study, saying its findings highlight the potential of locally relevant AI models to support clinical diagnosis and other health services.

Data for the study is being collected from Limbe Health Centre and Ndirande Health Centre in Blantyre. The study is expected to conclude in December 2026, with its findings expected to provide evidence to guide the safe and appropriate use of AI in Malawi’s primary healthcare system.