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On April 10th, a new virtual healthcare platform was officially launched by Zijing Smart Healthcare, a company incubated by Tsinghua University’s Institute for Intelligent Industry (AIR). The platform, called “Zijing AI Hospital,” is accessible for testing now and is open to practicing doctors and medical students worldwide. Its core innovation is supporting medical professionals in creating and training personalized AI doctor avatars to serve as virtual representations of themselves.
This virtual medical system serves as a foundational component of an emerging digital healthcare ecosystem. It currently covers 26 clinical departments and has generated a large pool of highly realistic AI patient avatars. When doctors select a specialty, the platform randomly assigns them a virtual patient matching their field. In this simulation, users can conduct a complete diagnostic process—asking questions, ordering tests, diagnosing conditions, and recommending treatments. The system accurately mimics real-world procedures by automatically generating diagnostic reports, lab results, and medical images. After the virtual consultation, the platform displays the decision-making patterns of multiple doctors regarding the same fictional patient, providing a low-risk environment where even less experienced physicians and students can practice without fear of errors impacting their reputation or the system itself.
The platform’s user interface closely resembles a real clinical setting and incorporates numerous AI-assisted diagnostic tools. It supports text and voice interactions, allowing physicians to communicate naturally with their virtual patients. During these exchanges, real-time reasoning modules dynamically update diagnostic and treatment suggestions. The system also taps into authoritative medical databases and scientific literature, enabling it to verify evidence supporting its recommendations—enhancing the credibility of the virtual advice. Currently, the platform supports both English and Chinese, including automatic translation features to facilitate cross-language consultations.
Founded in September 2024, Zijing Smart Healthcare builds on a virtual hospital model developed by Tsinghua University researchers, known as the Agent Hospital. The recently introduced online virtual consultation room enables a high volume of AI-driven patient interactions, significantly accelerating the development of personalized doctor avatars. As these avatars mature and reach certain levels, they can be integrated into both online and physical clinics, assisting real-world practitioners. Qualified users can apply through the company’s official channels for testing access. Looking ahead, Zijing Smart Healthcare plans to expand its offering by opening to partner hospitals for real-world clinical deployment and providing tailored AI patient environments for specialized medical fields.
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