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Analysis and Technology

How Theresa May’s plan for an AI-powered NHS could go very wrong

By Timothy Revell

21 May 2018

Doctors examine medical images

One day, could this all be AI?

Caiaimage/Robert Daly

The UK government wants to use artificial intelligence to spot signs of disease earlier. In a speech today, prime minister Theresa May said that AI could help to stop 22,000 cancer deaths a year by 2033. The technology could also be used for other conditions, such as heart disease.

The plan is to develop AI systems that can scan data about patients’ habits and genetics, and then cross-reference the country’s health records to spot people at an early stage of disease.

“The development of smart technologies to analyse…

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