Artificial intelligence is to be used to tackle racial inequalities in the NHS under government plans to "level up" healthcare. It is hoped that millions of black, Asian and minority ethnic Britons will benefit from revolutionary computer techniques designed to transform care and speed up diagnoses of potentially deadly conditions. Sajid Javid, the health secretary, has given the green light to a series of hi-tech initiatives aimed at tackling health disparities in the UK. It comes amid mounting concern over the issue among senior ministers. New projects include drawing up fresh standards for health data inclusivity amid fears that the datasets at the moment fail to adequately represent people from ethnic minority backgrounds.

The study, conducted by YouGov, included the input of some 1,000 business leaders and 4,000 employees. The study found that regarding the use of AI in UK healthcare industry, 46% of healthcare leaders reported their organisation used the technology in some capacity, which essentially reflected an 8% increase compared to 2018. The biggest growth areas reported were research-level AI, which grew 13% in the past 12 months, and robot process automation (RPA) and general automation both increased by 10%, while the use of voice recognition technology increased by 9%. Darren Atkins, chief technology officer at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: "AI in healthcare is an extremely exciting prospect. It's not about replacing staff, but allowing them to maximise their skills, be more efficient, spend more time with patients and, ultimately, get better outcomes." While the adoption of AI in healthcare was below that of the national cross-industry average of 56%, Microsoft explained how the findings demonstrated "recognition of AI's transformative potential for healthcare organisations is becoming increasingly widespread – not just when it comes to central or so-called'back office' processes but by genuinely enhancing the quality of patient care".

Microsoft UK has reported an "encouraging increase" in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in healthcare. In a survey of the use of AI in UK industry, 46% of healthcare leaders reported their organisation used the technology in some capacity, reflecting an 8% increase compared to 2018. The biggest growth areas reported were research-level AI, which grew 13% in the past 12 months. Robot process automation (RPA) and general automation both increased by 10%, while the use of voice recognition technology increased by 9%. The study, conducted by YouGov, included the input of some 1,000 business leaders and 4,000 employees.