♦ The world's first clinic where patients will be diagnosed using artificial intelligence (AI) has opened in Saudi Arabia.

♦ A China-based medical technology company called Synyi AI has partnered with Almoosa Health Group for the trial programme.

♦ The hospital began in the Eastern province of Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.

♦ The clinic aims to replace human doctors as the first point of contact for diagnosing and treating patients.

♦ However, humans are still involved in the system as "safety gatekeepers".

♦ After patients arrive at the clinic, they describe their symptoms using a tablet computer to an AI "doctor" called "Dr Hua".

♦ Once the consultation is over, Dr Hua provides a treatment plan, which is signed off by a human doctor after a thorough review.

♦ Human doctors remain available for emergencies that AI cannot handle.