Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity in Minimal Access and Robotic Surgery: A Technological Convergence

Abstract

The adoption of minimal access and robotic-assisted surgery has transformed modern healthcare by improving surgical precision, reducing patient recovery time, and enabling advanced remote and data-driven interventions. These systems increasingly rely on complex digital ecosystems that integrate surgical robots, imaging platforms, hospital networks, cloud services, and real-time data exchange. As a result, cybersecurity has emerged as a critical concern, where system compromise can directly impact patient safety, clinical outcomes, and regulatory compliance. Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a pivotal role in addressing these challenges, creating a technological convergence between intelligent automation and cyber defense in surgical environments.

This article explores how AI and advanced cybersecurity technologies are being applied to secure minimal access and robotic surgery systems. Machine learning models analyze network traffic, device telemetry, and behavioral patterns to detect anomalies, prevent unauthorized access, and respond to cyber threats in real time. AI-driven security mechanisms enable continuous monitoring, adaptive authentication, and predictive risk assessment across interconnected surgical platforms, supporting zero trust and defense-in-depth security architectures.

The paper further examines architectural considerations for integrating AI-based cybersecurity into robotic surgical workflows, including secure device communication, edge and cloud deployment strategies, data privacy, and regulatory requirements such as HIPAA and medical device cybersecurity standards. It also addresses emerging risks, including adversarial attacks on AI models, vulnerabilities in connected medical devices, and the ethical and operational challenges of deploying autonomous security controls in safety-critical clinical settings.

Through analysis of real-world use cases and evolving best practices, this article demonstrates how the convergence of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity strengthens the resilience, safety, and trustworthiness of robotic and minimally invasive surgical systems. The paper concludes that AI-enabled cybersecurity is essential for safeguarding next-generation surgical technologies and enabling their safe, scalable, and compliant adoption in modern healthcare.