May to pledge millions to AI research assisting early cancer diagnosis

Theresa May will pledge millions of pounds of government funding to develop artificial intelligence able to transform outcomes through early diagnosis of cancer and chronic disease. In a speech in Mansfield on Monday that is being billed as the first of a series on industrial strategy, May will say: "Late diagnosis of otherwise treatable illnesses is one of the biggest causes of avoidable deaths. "The development of smart technologies to analyse great quantities of data quickly and with a higher degree of accuracy than is possible by human beings, opens up a whole new field of medical research and gives us a new weapon in our armoury in the fight against disease." May wants industry and charities to work with the NHS to develop algorithms that can use patient data and lifestyle information to warn GPs when a patient should be referred to an oncologist or another specialist. The plans envisage at least 50,000 people being diagnosed at an early stage of prostate, ovarian, lung or bowel ...