How leveraging AI in nutrition can help prevent the next global health crisis

The world is on the brink of a nutrition-driven health and economic crisis. Malnutrition, in all its forms, is no longer just a health issue, it is an economic emergency with global consequences. Today, over 2.5 billion adults live with overweight or obesity, while 149 million children under five suffer from stunting, highlighting the deep inequalities and systemic failures in global food systems.

The economic burden is staggering. Hidden costs of global agrifood systems amount to $12 trillion annually, with 70% ($8.1 trillion) linked to unhealthy diets and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Undernutrition drains at least $1 trillion each year through productivity losses, while overweight and obesity add another $2 trillion. By 2035, the global economic impact of obesity alone is projected to reach $4.32 trillion annually, equivalent to nearly 3% of global GDP (comparable to the effect of COVID-19).

This is not a distant threat. It is a current challenge that undermines health systems, weakens workforces and strains public budgets. Urgent, coordinated action, leveraging innovation such as AI in nutrition, is essential to avert the next global health and economic catastrophe.

Brazil reduced child stunting through programmes like Bolsa Família, maternal education and expanded healthcare, while Nepal’s vitamin A supplementation programme showed how traditional interventions can deliver real progress. These successes prove that integrated policies work, but they also reveal their limits. Traditional approaches are often standardized, slow to adapt and hard to scale, leaving gaps in today’s rapidly changing food and health landscape.

Technology can bridge these gaps. AI, for example, can enable personalized nutrition guidance tailored to genetics, lifestyle and environment, far beyond one-size-fits-all interventions. Digital monitoring tools can provide real-time data, allowing quicker policy responses, while mobile platforms can help expand reach, delivering education and support to even the most remote communities.

Traditional systems laid the foundation. But to meet the scale and urgency of today’s nutrition crisis, we must pair them with AI and digital innovation to build faster, smarter and more equitable solutions.

AI offers a transformative pathway by analyzing large-scale datasets - genomics, food intake, health metrics - to deliver hyper-personalized dietary guidance and predict risks for chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular illness. In China, for instance, AI-driven lifestyle interventions improved health behaviours in obese pregnant women through tailored real-time feedback.

The economic case is equally strong. The AI-powered nutrition market jumped from $1.6 billion in 2022 to $3.66 billion in 2024 and is projected to nearly double again to $8.51 billion by 2028. This surge reflects heightened investment, expanding product offerings and increased adoption driven by the rise in lifestyle diseases. By preventing diet-related illnesses, AI can reduce long-term healthcare costs while boosting workforce productivity, a dual win for health and the global economy.

Innovations are already emerging at scale. Samsung’s AI-driven Food Plus app, powered by vision AI, recognizes 40,000 food ingredients and integrates with smart appliances, offering 160,000+ recipes in eight languages across 104 countries. Similarly, Twin Health’s digital twin technology delivers real-time, personalized advice for blood sugar regulation, an example of how AI can make nutrition both actionable and deeply personalized.

So far in 2025, there have been several exciting developments in this space including:

The promise of AI in nutrition is immense, but so are the risks if we ignore equity and ethics. Imagine an AI model trained mostly on European diets being used in Africa or Asia; the recommendations could be irrelevant, even harmful. Or consider the NHS–Google case, where sensitive patient data was shared without proper consent; trust, once lost, is hard to regain.

Affordability and access remain equally urgent. If AI-powered nutrition apps or genetic testing remain too expensive or if internet access continues to lag in rural regions, the people who need these tools most will be left behind. To prevent this, collaboration is key. Governments, businesses and global platforms like the World Economic Forum must set ethical standards, create affordable models and close the digital divide.

Malnutrition and diet-related diseases already cost the world over $8.1 trillion annually and without urgent action, they risk triggering the next global health crisis. AI offers a way forward - reducing disease, cutting healthcare costs and strengthening workforce productivity. To realize this potential, solutions must be ethical, affordable and inclusive. Investing in AI-powered nutrition is not just health policy; it is economic defence against a looming global crisis.