Opinion
Innovation in a vacuum: Why AI demands global connectivity
"The more we facilitate a continuum of data and insights across medical institutions, the better we can provide patients with care based on global, rather than local, experience," writes Avner Halperin, CEO of Sheba Impact.
For decades, the cornerstone of Israeli technology has been the "Innovation Center." These hubs were established within hospitals and urban centers, serving as incubators designed to cultivate the next big breakthrough. We took pride in the Israeli mind’s ability to operate within a local "lab," operating under the assumption that if a product were superior enough, the world would eventually beat a path to its door. However, as we enter 2026, an era where Artificial Intelligence is no longer a mere promise but a foundational infrastructure, our competitive advantage is at risk of erosion. The traditional model perpetuates a paradigm of "isolated islands" in a world that desperately requires interconnectedness.
In the realm of healthcare innovation, for instance, innovation in a vacuum has lost its relevance. AI demands massive datasets, extraordinary computing power, and a level of human and genetic diversity that no single institution, no matter how advanced, can provide in isolation. An innovation center that is not organically integrated into similar global networks effectively imposes a low glass ceiling on its entrepreneurs. For an algorithm to accurately diagnose a rare disease or predict patient deterioration in the ICU, it must be trained on data derived from diverse healthcare systems, varied genetics, and differing lifestyles. Without this scope, Israeli models will remain limited and localized.
The shift required of us today is a transition from a "Centers" mindset to a "Networks" mindset. True power is no longer measured solely by the number of startups registered locally, but by the ability of these institutions to establish a common language with counterpart centers in the U.S., Europe, and the Far East. We must construct a global network that shares not only ideas, but processing resources, implementation capabilities, and real-time insights. Such a network serves as the "insurance policy" for our technological sovereignty; the more Israel serves as a critical junction in a global data grid, the more its strategic standing is preserved against tech giants and global superpowers.
This is where the critical responsibility of the State of Israel comes into play. For too long, the state sufficed with the role of a "fueler," providing grants to individual entrepreneurs and hoping for the best. In the current era, the state’s role must evolve into a "Network Accelerator." Investing in specific companies is no longer enough; the government must incentivize innovation centers to build and bridge into global networks - laying the digital, legal, and strategic "pipelining" that connects Israel to the world's leading hubs.
Governmental responsibility must manifest in proactive, advanced regulation that enables secure data sharing with leading international institutions while maintaining rigorous privacy standards. This includes investing in national supercomputing resources for researchers and promoting international treaties that cement our position as an integral part of the global ecosystem. If the state fails to pave these corridors, the Israeli entrepreneur will find themselves isolated, holding an excellent product with no room to scale. Therefore, a national strategy is required, one that views international connectivity as a top-tier security and economic objective.
This is an essential growth infrastructure that directly impacts the quality of life for every citizen. In the past, a startup’s goal was to find a local partner for a pilot. Today, the objective must be immediate integration into a Global Operating System. A medical development originating in Israel must be designed from day one for seamless implementation in hospitals in Singapore or Chicago. Without this connectivity, we produce brilliant solutions that remain on the shelf because they cannot "speak" with systems beyond our borders.
Modern healing will not emerge from a lone genius in a closed room, but from our collective ability to connect the dots. The more we facilitate a continuum of data and insights across medical institutions, the better we can provide patients with care based on global, rather than local, experience. Ultimately, this network is more than just data lines; it is the chance for a patient in Israel’s periphery to receive the most precise medical insight currently available on the planet.
Israel must decide: will it continue to celebrate "islands" of excellence, or will it invest in building the network that transforms us into the central hub through which the medicine of the future flows? The transition from "Start-Up Nation" to "Global Network Nation" is not merely a technological move, it is our national imperative
The author is the CEO of Sheba Impact and Deputy Head of the ARC Global Innovation Network at Sheba Medical Center.
