The Government has set out an ambition for data and artificial intelligence to help diagnose cancer at a much earlier stage for at least 50,000 people per year within the next 15 years. Prime Minister Theresa May (pictured) outlined this as a step in the AI and Data Grand Challenge – one of four in the Government's Industrial Strategy – in a speech yesterday on national ambitions in science and technology. It had already identified diagnosing medical conditions as the first challenge for the technology, and May's speech has now set the more specific target for cancer. She said that combined with treatment from the NHS it could mean that 22,000 fewer people will die within five years of their diagnosis compared to today. "We will work with industry and the medical research community to announce specific ambitions in a range of other disease areas over the coming weeks and months," she said.