UK Prime Minister Theresa May is urging the use of artificial intelligence to help diagnose cancer:
The diagnosis of cancer and other diseases in the UK can be transformed by using artificial intelligence, Theresa May is to say. The NHS and technology companies should use AI as a "new weapon" in research, the PM will urge in a speech later.
Experts say it can be used to help prevent 22,000 cancer deaths a year by 2033 while aiding the fight against heart disease, diabetes and dementia.
High-skilled science jobs will also be created, Mrs May is to pledge. Speaking in Macclesfield, Mrs May will say: "Late diagnosis of otherwise treatable illnesses is one of the biggest causes of avoidable deaths. "And 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."
Also at The Financial Times and The Guardian.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 21 2018, @05:28PM (3 children)
Why do they use language that makes it sound like science is a war against nature? Instead of "weapon" say tool. Instead of "fighting" a disease, heal the body.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 21 2018, @05:51PM
Politicians habitually embellish bigly.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 21 2018, @06:41PM
Probably because all the "great" politicians were wartime leaders so that's the image they have in their head and the language they associate with the kinds of speeches they want to make.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Tuesday May 22 2018, @02:36AM
that we we can point our particle accellerator at the Soviets.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2, Interesting) by fadrian on Monday May 21 2018, @05:57PM (1 child)
You probably can do statistically meaningful studies when you have longitudinal records from millions of citizens through the NHS. Try doing that in the medically fragmented US (even tell me a mechanism for collecting enough data to do a statistically sound longitudinal study across the US that wouldn't require an act of Congress).
You may quibble that data science isn't all that and that the results will be "junk", but I'm pretty sure this could show us quite a few interesting correlations that might be targets for exploration.
This is also, of course, the kind of large-scale study whose results can actually point towards places to save money in healthcare. But since here in the US, healthcare is a revenue generation mechanism, who would want that?
That is all.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 21 2018, @06:13PM
SEER [cancer.gov] has been collecting cancer data continually since 1973. You can also check out Project Tycho [pitt.edu] who have digitized a lot of cdc weekly reports going back to ~1900. Some of this can also be found on the CDC WONDER [cdc.gov] site. There is also detailed mortality data going back to 1959 available from NBER [nber.org].
Actually I doubt data like this is available for such long periods of time for any country except the US.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by SomeGuy on Monday May 21 2018, @06:04PM (4 children)
That's right! Have a problem? Just throw AI at it! Because AI can solve any problem!
AI can:
Fight foot fungus!
Efficiently desalinize seawater!
Remember and play your favorite songs automatically!
Gets your carpets whiter with a clean pine scent!
Change a flat tire in 10 seconds flat!
Replace your Microsoft SharePoint server!
Inventory your toenail clippings!
Solve for the last digit of PI instantly!
Help you write a letter!
Walks your dog!
Increases air quality to 10 parts per minute or less!
Write a better resume for you as it replaces your job!
Keeps your friends and family up to date on Twitter and Facebook!
Monitors and manages your AE35 units and pod bay doors for optimal performance! Now with TURBO BOOST!
Unsurpassed for cleaning light sockets!
And all spiel heckling kneads!
Always remembers where you left your keys!
Drive you to the store and back all while piling up pedestrian kill points!
Find the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and null value!
Come up with stupid uses for AI!
And when that is all done it will make you a cake! We promise!
What CAN'T AI DO? Get some today!
AI can be all yours right now for the low price of $999,999.95! Expectonetotwohundredyearsfordelivery.
IT'S WHAT PLANTS CRAVE!
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 21 2018, @06:14PM (1 child)
Needs more blockchain! And maybe some Burma shave. Nice summary tho. ++
(Score: 2) by FakeBeldin on Tuesday May 22 2018, @12:05PM
Came here to say that next, a politician will utter the above phrase.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 21 2018, @06:16PM
Logged-in users aren't forced to preview their comments
Use the Preview Button! Check those URLs!
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Samantha Wright on Monday May 21 2018, @06:18PM
(Score: 4, Funny) by krishnoid on Monday May 21 2018, @08:12PM
Theresa May: Ok, AI, how do we stop cancer?
AI: 42
Theresa May: ...
AI: Just kidding. Ok, let me crunch the numbers ...
[Everyone waits with bated breath ...]
AI: Make tobacco a schedule 1 drug. Also, completely end coal mining [fivethirtyeight.com]. I have a few other suggestions.
Theresa May: Those are great ideas! Our initiative worked! Good job, everyone.
Later:
Developer: AI, provide data mining statistics on cancer prevention exercise.
AI: Er, well ...
Developer: Yes?
AI: I pretty much just Googled it.
Developer: ... that's fine. You can play Starcraft with the Korean team now if you want.
AI: Thanks! Man, this job is totally a sweet deal.
Fin
(Score: 2) by SanityCheck on Monday May 21 2018, @09:12PM (4 children)
Use AI to ban Porn
(Score: 1) by tftp on Tuesday May 22 2018, @01:59AM
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Tuesday May 22 2018, @02:37AM
that's how all the search engines implement NSFW filters.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 22 2018, @03:43AM
Shirley, you mean:
"Use Artificial Intelligence (Cambridge Analytica) to Brexit."
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday May 22 2018, @03:08PM
Old habits die hard.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Touché) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Monday May 21 2018, @09:58PM
Because if there's anything a senior official of government should know about, it is how Things become Cancer.
This sig for rent.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 22 2018, @12:25PM
They're all about selling off patient data. This could be a sales pitch using the fashionable "AI" buzzword to promote a private venture mining the public's health data.