Hospitals and health systems are establishing dedicated AI centers and innovation hubs to develop new technologies, evaluate their safety and bring AI into clinical practice.
The initiatives range from centers focused on testing AI tools to programs that connect clinicians with researchers and technology companies.
Here are six health systems and academic medical centers that have launched or announced dedicated AI centers, institutes and innovation hubs in 2026, as reported by Becker’s or announced by the organizations:
- Beth Israel Lahey Health (Cambridge, Mass.): The health system formed the Center of Surgical and Medical Intelligence in October to develop and evaluate clinical AI across medical and surgical settings. The center will focus on building unified data systems, studying AI safety and effectiveness, and coordinating AI initiatives across the health system. Adam Rodman, MD, and Gabriel Brat, MD, both physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, will lead the center.
- RWJBarnabas Health (West Orange, N.J.): The health system and Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., launched a technology innovation hub powered by Amazon Web Services in September. The initiative brings together students, clinicians, researchers and technology experts to develop solutions for healthcare challenges using cloud and AI technologies. Operations were slated to begin in fall 2026.
- UCSF Health (San Francisco): The health system launched UCSF Health Converge, an AI accelerator developed with venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins and Doerr Capital, in July. The program embeds selected companies within the health system to develop AI tools alongside clinicians and operational teams. Its focus includes patient support outside traditional care settings and automation of clinical and administrative workflows. Elizabeth Engel, vice president at UCSF Health, serves as executive director of the program.
- UC San Diego Health (La Jolla, Calif.): University of California San Diego established the Institute for Applied Health Intelligence in July, bringing together UC San Diego Health and faculty from six academic schools. The institute focuses on translating AI research and health data into clinical applications, including personalized medicine and population analytics, and on developing leaders to manage large-scale digital transformations. Amy Sitapati, MD, serves as its inaugural director.
- UCLA Health (Los Angeles): The health system launched the Innovations and Outcomes Validation of AI Center, known as INOVAi, in June. The center focuses on evaluating the safety, effectiveness and real-world implementation of AI technologies. Its work spans usability and workflow testing, clinical trials and implementation studies to determine how AI tools perform in healthcare settings.
- Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston): MUSC approved the creation of its AI Center for Health Innovation and Informatics in February to coordinate AI development and deployment across healthcare, research, education and operations. The center will include teams focused on AI incubation, synthetic data, strategy and operations, and workforce education. Initial development was scheduled for March through June 2026, with full operations expected in fiscal year 2027.
