Artificial intelligence in medicine

Innovation is the engine of Repsol, but the real energy is found in our people.

Often, when we talk about digital transformation in a global energy company, minds turn to optimizing technical processes or infrastructure efficiency.  However, there are other digital innovations that we are very proud of because they have as their epicenter the care of the well-being of our employees. This firm commitment to "care" as a corporate value has materialized in SaludIA, a project with an artificial intelligence system that transcends simple digitalization to become a true paradigm shift in occupational health.

SaludIA stems from a deep need: to move from generic health campaigns - the “one-size-fits-all” that proved insufficient - to a personalized, inclusive, and proactive prevention system.  It is about using the most advanced technology to return to the most human: seeing each employee as a unique individual, with specific risks and needs, not as a mere statistic.

Our goal is simple but ambitious: anticipate the risk before the event appears. This technology, initially focused on cardiovascular risk, has transformed our approach to health, and why the algorithm, when applied with responsibility and a humanistic focus, becomes the most powerful tool to take care of the heart of our organization.

Traditional medicine, the one we all know, usually arrives when the symptom has already appeared. At Repsol, under the inspiration of Leroy Hood's P4 (Predictive, Preventative, Personalized, and Participatory) Medicine, we decided that "anticipating is taking better care of ourselves".

SaludIA is built on a non-negotiable pillar: our perspective of inclusion, which is at the very heart of the project design. This inclusion is manifested on two crucial fronts:

• Gender Perspective: Gender differential segmentation allows us to design campaigns specifically calibrated for women's cardiovascular health, which often manifests with atypical symptoms or is underestimated in standard guidelines. This ensures that the care of women in the company is as precise and priority as that of men.

• Age Inclusion: One of the biggest biases of traditional prevention lies in the risk tables (such as SCORE2, a tool aimed at calculating cardiovascular risk over a 10-year time horizon), which usually leaves those under 40 out of the equation, attributing them a zero risk by default (the so-called "Not Applicable" segment). However, we know that risk does not magically appear when you turn 40.

When it comes to the introduction of AI in medicine, responsible innovation is a non-negotiable pillar to prevent privacy concerns.

SaludIA has been built on the pillars of “Responsible AI”, ensuring justice, security, and privacy. We use advanced anonymization techniques and strictly comply with the GDPR and our compliance policies. Health data is of special sensitivity, and employees sign an informed consent with the understanding that this will be used to take better care of them, not to control them.

It should be noted that AI in medicine does not make decisions on its own; it provides our doctors with advanced tools for them to make informed decisions.  Technology does not replace the empathy of the doctor; it amplifies it, freeing them from the analytical burden so that they can focus on the person.

The result of all this technological deployment translates into something very tangible for the employee. They no longer receive generic advice. Now, the combination of the medical reference and the SaludIA artificial intelligence model allows a classification of the workforce into risk profiles differentiated by gender (low, medium, or high), thus facilitating the execution of campaigns and personalized monitoring.

If you're in a high-risk group, the system prioritizes specific doctor appointments and diagnostic tests. If you are at medium risk, the system can detect that your problem is not cholesterol, but the combination of high glucose and high BMI, and direct you to a specific campaign on nutrition and weight. If you're at low risk, you get positive reinforcement to maintain those good habits.

We've gone from airing messages to having personalized conversations with each employee about their health. And we do this by monitoring the real impact through a dashboard (Power BI) to measure and improve each action, allowing us to adjust strategies in real time.

SaludIA represents a paradigm shift in occupational risk prevention, integrating technology, ethics, and sustainability to generate social and business value. This AI in health project, which is already transforming cardiovascular prevention, is just the beginning.

The architecture we have built is scalable. We want to predict more accurately than the SCORE2 table and our next step is to extend this model to other critical pathologies such as musculoskeletal and, especially, mental health.

We are very proud that this very innovative project, during the year 2025, has received national and international awards. In July, it received the special award for merit in business management at the ORP 2025 Awards, awarded by the International ORP Foundation in recognition of our commitment and leadership in the management of Occupational Health and Safety.

In November, we received the Best CSR Policy award at the XII edition of the Capital Awards, highlighting that the integration of precision medicine with Artificial Intelligence is not a futuristic idea, but a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy that generates a positive and real impact.

In addition, in the internal Compliance 2025 awards, our Repsol colleagues awarded us the award in the "Care" category, an example of recognition for taking care of the energy that moves Repsol, its employees, for taking care of the most sensitive data, the health of people, and for taking care of our leadership, reinforcing the commitment to those who are part of our organization. This award highlights our ability to innovate in the field of occupational health, ensure the privacy and security of personal data, and transform traditional processes by always putting people at the center.

SaludIA is much more than a Machine Learning algorithm. Our journey is just beginning: the future calls us to scale up this vision to mental and musculoskeletal health, bringing precision to all dimensions of well-being. Repsol's energy resides in our people, which is why it is key to invest in their health with the best technology. Caring for people is, and always will be, our most strategic asset.