Artificial Intelligence in medical practice: closing the gap for the present and creating opportunities for the future

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) is being incorporated into every aspect of human endeavour with benefits in diverse ways. Its application has brought a revolutionary dimension to healthcare delivery services across the globe. The aim of this study is to appraise the concept of artificial intelligence as it is applicable to contemporary medical practice and also looking into opportunities to come in its future application of AI. Method: This is a narrative review article on AI, in which literatures were searched on AI using PubMed, Google Scholar, and MEDLINE. The search keywords were artificial intelligence concerning the basic theory, clinical and non-clinical applications, and future medical and global economic benefits. A critical review of the article was then undertaken. Results: Eight-seven articles were screened of which, 46 articles were found to be relevant for the review. Artificial Intelligence has been found useful across various specialties of medicine through its precision, error-reduction ability and prediction of clinical outcomes. Despite this, AI-driven practice is still at a rudimentary stage and likewise the knowledge about AI in sub-Saharan Africa with a paucity of researches and publications on AI. Conclusion:  The use of AI in medical practice is increasing rapidly and has a great propensity to revolutionize patient care through better precision and reduction of medical errors. Despite this, AI in medical practice is still in the infancy stage in sub-Saharan Africa, we thus suggest the need to move from a position of a spectator to that of an active participant by embracing this innovation