The digital twin is not intended to serve up medical advice, but serves as a first-line awareness and educational tool that helps users better understand health topics, recognize when to seek real medical attention, and access trusted information in a non-intimidating way.
Would you be satisfied if you conducted your doctor’s visit with their digital twin? We already have telemedicine driven by AI responses and recommendations, but the next step may be an entirely digitized replica of a living, breathing doctor.
Can it effectively replicate his sense or reasoning and even empathy? We’ll see.
Will it result in the closing of medical schools, as the world’s doctors are essentially digital cloned from the best and brightest practitioners? Not likely.
For the past few years, the focus of medical technology developers has been on preparing digital twins of patients to help doctors validate their decisions on medications and procedures.
Now, the roles are reversed. 9verse AI FZCO announced it has launched what it says is the first AI digital twin of a physician, serving the Middle East and Africa — regions beset by doctor and healthcare worker shortages. The twin replicates Dr. Mansoor Anwar Habib, a physician and wellness advocate based in the United Arab Emirates.
The digital twin went live at the end of July. The twin offers free, 24/7 health awareness support in Emirati Arabic, English, and over 30 additional languages, including French, Spanish, Russian, Hindi, and Chinese. Through natural conversation, users can engage with a familiar voice (Dr. Mansoor’s own, recreated using voice-cloning technology) to explore general wellness topics, preventive lifestyle guidance, and common public health concerns.
See also: Digital Twins will Soon be Everywhere, Futurists Predict
Doctor’s expertise differentiates the new digital twin
Unlike traditional virtual assistants, this digital twin is trained on Dr. Mansoor’s public health expertise, thought process, unique medical expertise, published work, and educational content. It is built on a medical-specific large language model (LLM) designed to understand health-related conversations with contextual relevance — while operating strictly within pre-defined educational boundaries.
“This AI companion allows me to support my community with wellness advice, anytime and anywhere,” said Dr. Mansoor Habib. “It’s about empowering people to make better lifestyle choices, understand when to seek medical care, and reduce anxiety by giving them easy access to reliable health information.”
“This initiative is a landmark moment not just for 9verse but for the broader digital transformation journey in our region,” said Osman Sultan, Co-founder and Chairman of 9verse. “We’re combining local innovation with global technology to reshape how trust, access, and public wellbeing can be delivered at scale.”
The digital twin follows a set of strict guidelines to ensure responsible and ethical deployment:
- HIPAA-aligned privacy infrastructure
- Multilingual disclaimers clarifying the AI digital twin’s non-clinical role
- Content guardrails that restrict the AI digital twin from issuing diagnosis, prescriptions, or treatment plans
- Data protection policies in compliance with UAE regulations and global standards
The digital twin is not intended to serve up medical advice, but serves as a “first-line awareness and educational tool that helps users better understand health topics, recognize when to seek real medical attention, and access trusted information in a non-intimidating way.”
