Artificial Intelligence as a Core Public Health Competency: Proposal and Perspectives in Education and Research

The continuous development of AI presents unprecedented opportunities for public health. This development prompts educators and researchers to consider how AI can be applied to and integrated into a rapidly evolving global landscape in which AI is reshaping health systems. In turn, this generates an urgent need for structured proposals that bridge theory and practice. In this viewpoint, we present perspectives and proposals on AI applications in public health. We operationalize AI literacy as a core public health competency, defined through knowledge, skills, and attitudes and scaled across professional roles. For education, we describe how AI can support learners, teachers, and organizations through personalized learning experiences, dynamic scenarios, immersive simulations, content preparation, and communication strategies. For research, we analyze how AI can be embedded as a transversal enabler supporting the World Health Organization's essential public health functions. We emphasize that AI should enhance, rather than replace, human capabilities and propose that AI literacy should be recognized as a core public health competency. We suggest that harnessing AI for public health education and research is, therefore, less a technological challenge than a collective responsibility shared by educators, researchers, and institutions.