Building a common thread: Community-led governance for AI in social prescribing and community health

Social prescribing is built on the most human elements of healthcare: the connections, activities, and relationships that help us thrive. It needs strong tools for digital referral and evaluation. As AI enters this work, we face a critical choice: if we rely on algorithms we don’t have a say in, we risk automating decisions that should remain personal, or deepening the inequalities we aim to dismantle. Kate is creating a “Common Thread” roadmap for Canada to ensure that when we adopt AI, we don’t edit out the community and patient leadership that makes social prescribing work. Learning from tech innovators, health leaders, and community members, she will build a new standard from the ground up. By embedding community authority directly into design, she aims to ensure our digital tools strengthen our social fabric rather than thin it out, keeping our health and social systems smart, healthy, sustainable, fair, and compassionate.