Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing healthcare, but according to Cera founder and CEO Dr Ben Maruthappu, its greatest impact may not be in futuristic diagnostics or replacing clinicians. Instead, it lies in helping healthcare systems become more preventative, more productive and better equipped to support growing numbers of patients at home.
At a time when the NHS faces mounting pressures from workforce shortages, rising demand and an ageing population, Cera has positioned itself at the forefront of AI-driven care. The company has built technology designed to identify health risks before they escalate, allowing care teams to intervene earlier and reduce pressure on hospitals.
"AI is helping healthcare become more personalised, preventative and efficient," says Dr Maruthappu. "At Cera, our AI tools predict health risks before they become emergencies – reducing falls by 20% and avoidable hospitalisations by more than half."
The results, he argues, demonstrate the power of moving healthcare away from reactive treatment and towards prevention. "This has allowed Cera to revolutionise prevention in over-65s," he says, adding that the company's model has helped save "more than £1 billion to date for the NHS and Government – and now almost £2 million a day."
Beyond prediction: The rise of care robots
For Dr Maruthappu, however, predictive analytics is only part of a much bigger transformation.
"We're also innovating through agentic AI and Care Robots," he explains. Last year, Cera launched a suite of AI-powered care agents capable of automating routine administrative tasks while also expanding into robotics through the acquisition of its own line of home care robots.
The robots are designed to support people living independently, helping with medication reminders, hydration and nutrition prompts, while also addressing social isolation.
"Our robots help patients with food, drink and medication reminders," Dr Maruthappu says. "While also tackling isolation, keeping them connected to care teams and loved ones, regularly checking in on their mood and wellbeing, and providing a safe, comforting presence."
The development comes as healthcare systems worldwide grapple with growing care demands. With one in four older people globally estimated to have unmet care needs, Dr Maruthappu believes technology can help bridge an increasingly difficult gap between demand and available resources.
"AI and robotics help expand access to care, freeing up thousands of hours for carers, nurses and operational teams to focus on patients," he says. "This transforms care quality and outcomes, while also making a huge difference for frontline workers."
Why productivity matters as much as innovation
Yet when discussing AI's role in healthcare, Dr Maruthappu repeatedly returns to a central theme: productivity.
"AI's biggest opportunity is helping healthcare systems become more preventative and productive," he says. "It can identify risks earlier, redefining diagnostics and healthcare research. It can also remove the burden of administrative work, allowing staff to support more people, better, with the same resources."
In fact, he believes one of the most powerful applications of AI receives far less attention than headline-grabbing advances in diagnostics.
"Automating mundane or routine tasks may sound less exciting than predictive analytics or diagnostics," he says, "but it's actually one of AI's greatest areas of potential in healthcare."
The same principle is shaping workforce recruitment. With projections suggesting health and social care services could require one million additional workers by 2040, Cera has deployed AI to help identify and recruit new carers more efficiently.
"At Cera, our AI Recruitment Agent, Ami, helps identify, screen and engage candidates more efficiently," says Dr Maruthappu. The result, he says, has been "doubling our recruitment volumes and halving hiring times."
Automate everything but the human
Despite his enthusiasm for technological innovation, Dr Maruthappu is unequivocal about where the boundaries lie.
"AI and robotics can't replace human judgement, empathy or relationships," he says. "Their role is to augment healthcare professionals, not replace them."
His philosophy is captured in a simple phrase: "You have to automate everything but the human."
That balance is especially important as predictive technologies become more sophisticated. While concerns around trust, privacy and accountability continue to shape public debate, Dr Maruthappu believes AI should remain a tool that supports decision-making rather than one that replaces it.
"Predictive technology is critical because it helps healthcare move from reacting to illness towards preventing it," he says. "But trust is essential."
Ultimately, he sees the future not as a choice between people and technology, but as a partnership between the two.
"AI should provide carers and nurses with better information so they can make better decisions," he says. "The future is AI and humans working together."
"What excites me most is AI's ability to help healthcare systems do more with less while improving outcomes," Dr Maruthappu says. "The opportunity now is to build a global blueprint for more preventative, productive healthcare systems that help millions more people live healthier, longer lives at home, for generations to come."
