While leaked memos show that Google execs perceived a real risk of internal backlash from their $9 million Pentagon contract to supply AI for US military drones, they were willing to risk it because they expected the business to quickly grow to $250,000,000. The September email chain discussing the recently inked deal included Scott Frohman and Aileen Black, two members of Google's defense sales team, along with Dr. Fei-Fei Li, the head scientist at Google Cloud, as well as members of the communications team. Black provided a summary of the Project Maven deal, which she described as a "5-month long race among AI heavyweights" in the tech industry. "Total deal $25-$30M, $15M to Google over the next 18 months," she wrote. "As the program grows expect spend is budgeted at 250 M per year. This program is directly related to the Sept 13 memo about moving DOD aggressively to the cloud I sent last week."

The worldwide market for radiology-specific deep learning will soar from around $40 million next year to some $300 million by 2021, largely on the wings of increasing demand for imaging combined with radiologist shortages like the one Scotland is facing. The projection comes from the U.K.-based healthcare market research firm Signify Research. "Radiology is evolving from a largely descriptive field to a more quantitative discipline," a Signify analyst says in a press release. "Intelligent software tools that combine quantitative imaging and clinical workflow features will not only enhance radiologist productivity but also improve diagnostic accuracy." Meanwhile the release, sent to publicize Signify's full report on the topic, notes that doubts over how deep learning arrives at its radiological diagnoses "could lead to legal implications. Whilst none of these problems are insurmountable, healthcare providers are likely to take a'wait and see' approach before investing in deep learning-based solutions."