Key takeaways
• The ESC Digital & AI Summit, taking place on 21–22 November, brings together global experts and innovators united by a shared mission: to harness digital technologies for life-saving breakthroughs in cardiovascular care.
• Together with technology, big tech and healthcare experts, the congress will address the challenges of implementing digital health solutions while maintaining ethical integrity.
• From roundtables to debate sessions the scientific programme will highlight digital innovations and AI's potential to transform cardiovascular diagnosis, treatment, and research.
Sophia Antipolis, 28 October 2025: Embracing the new era in digital cardiology and all the potential it offers, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) will host its first ever Digital & AI Summit in Berlin, Germany, from November 21–22.
Cardiology professionals, technology experts, and other key business leaders from around the world will unite at the two-day event to discuss the latest developments in the field and share ideas, all driven by the same mission: to harness digital innovation for life-saving advancements in cardiovascular care.
Chair of the ESC Digital Cardiology & AI Committee 2024-2026, Professor Folkert Asselbergs, and a consultant cardiologist, Chair of the Amsterdam Heart Center, and Professor of Precision Medicine at the Institute of Health Informatics, University College London, UK says: "The ESC Digital & AI Summit is where science meets innovation. From AI driven robotics, and predictive analytics using trustworthy AI to next-generation remote monitoring, this is where the most advanced technologies and ground-breaking research converge to redefine what's possible in cardiovascular care."
Professor Asselbergs, who has had an avatar of himself created for use during the summit, adds: "With real-time data insights and AI-powered decision support becoming a part of cardiology practice, the scientific programme will highlight the latest innovations and how they are accelerating patient outcomes and transforming clinical workflows while taking into account the potential risks and challenges involved in the adoption of this new technology."
"Our programme includes keynote lectures from industry leaders and big tech," says co-chair Professor Sandy Engelhardt, Director of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Cardiovascular Medicine at Heidelberg University Hospital and the Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University, Germany.
She adds: "We invite you to learn from pioneers, challenge the status quo, and gain the insights you need to stay ahead in this rapidly evolving field. The programme will allow you to ask your questions to the leading healthcare innovators and technologists with us in Berlin and explore how these advancements are reshaping the future of patient-centred care."
One keynote address will be delivered by Dr Max Tschochobei, an engineering leader in Google, who leads teams of data and AI engineers in mission-critical customer projects, developing the next wave of AI agents across industries. Dr Tschochobei holds a PhD in Economics and is co-lead of the AI in the Women's Health Research Group at TUM University Hospital in Munich.
His session will explore the current AI inflection point in healthcare, how big tech companies are influencing healthcare research, and how researchers can access foundational models. He says: "We will demystify core AI and cloud concepts and outline practical steps for training, validating, deploying, and cost-managing AI solutions. We will close with a panel discussion with decision makers and industry leaders from technology and healthcare to discuss the implications of these technologies on the European healthcare ecosystem."
Highlights of the Summit also include a joint session with the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) which will explore advancements in robotic cardiac surgery focusing on current capabilities, challenges, and future potential for improving patient outcomes. This session will also help delegates understand the potential role of 5G-enabled telerobotics in cardiac surgery, examining how it may enhance precision, remote access, and collaboration in complex procedures; and to evaluate the use of augmented reality and 3D virtual imaging in cardiovascular care, specifically for procedural planning in patients with congenital cardiac conditions and for improving surgical accuracy.
Various devices and technologies, some already certified and in use, others in development, will be discussed at the summit. Examples include WILLEM , an already certified medical device. WILLEM is an AI-based electrocardiogram (ECG) analysis platform that can take data from many sources including 12-lead ECGs and detect arrhythmias with high accuracy.
Another technology that will be discussed is VOICE-BIOME , a still in-development tool to non-invasively detect heart failure (HF) using voice based biomarkers, since HF affects fluid levels and respiration—both of which influence voice. VOICE-BIOME can be used on regular smartphones rather than relying on invasive methods or other devices.
Professor Asselbergs concludes: "Just a decade ago, some of the things we will be discussing at this new ESC Digital & AI Summit would be unimaginable. We warmly invite you to join us in Berlin to see where the latest developments in AI & machine learning can take us to in all areas of cardiology."
