Clalit and Check Point Partner to Secure AI in Hospitals

Clalit, one of Israel's largest healthcare providers, and cybersecurity firm Check Point have announced a strategic partnership valued at millions of shekels to develop a joint security system for artificial intelligence (AI) tools used in hospitals. The initiative aims to enable Clalit to safely expand its use of AI technologies while mitigating potential risks.

The new system, dubbed "AI Gateway," will function as a real-time monitoring and control layer for data traffic between medical systems and external AI tools. It will act as a digital gatekeeper, preventing sensitive patient information from being inadvertently exposed to public AI engines like ChatGPT or exploited by attackers.

This move comes amid a growing tension in the healthcare sector. While medical staff are increasingly motivated to use AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini for efficiency, the accelerated digitization of healthcare systems has made them more vulnerable. Clalit's National Data and Cyber Protection Officer, Adv. Avivith Kotler, highlighted the escalating threat landscape, noting a significant increase in cyberattack attempts, particularly from Iran and its proxies, especially since the start of the war.

Clalit already utilizes AI internally, primarily within isolated systems for tasks like medical imaging analysis and identifying undiagnosed diseases, adhering to strict organizational regulations. However, the integration of free generative AI applications introduces a "new layer of risk," according to Kotler, due to concerns about uncontrolled usage, such as doctors copying identifiable patient summaries into public AI search engines.

The "AI Gateway" is designed to prevent such data leaks, enforce privacy laws, and establish clear safety boundaries. It will also monitor and block anomalous activities from AI agents and third-party applications that might integrate with hospital systems, ensuring they do not access or transmit irrelevant sensitive data. Check Point will gain extensive development and implementation experience within Clalit's vast network, serving approximately 5 million people in Israel. In return, Check Point retains intellectual property rights for future commercialization, while Clalit assures that patient data will remain protected, with Check Point only accessing metadata.

Clalit anticipates a broad deployment of the AI Gateway system by the first quarter of 2027.