Theresa May is set to unveil her plans to leverage AI to support the diagnosis of long-term diseases

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionised traditional industries, enabling businesses to look at algorithms to drive solutions, boost quality and value and deliver essential positive outcomes.

British Prime Minister Theresa May will announce her plans to leverage AI in a speech today, in order to prevent up to 22,000 cancer deaths a year by 2033, with 50,000 patients gaining the ability to gain a diagnosis of ovarian, prostate, lung or bowel cancer at an earlier stage than before.

"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 and gives us a new weapon in our armoury in the fight against disease,” May is set to state in her speech in Macclesfield, Cheshire.

"Achieving this mission will not only save thousands of lives. It will incubate a whole new industry around AI-in-healthcare, creating high-skilled science jobs across the country, drawing on existing centres of excellence in places like Edinburgh, Oxford and Leeds - and helping to grow new ones."

According to Cancer Research, over 160,000 deaths resulted from cancer in 2016, accounting for one in four UK deaths. 

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“Our goal is that three in four people will survive their cancer by 2034 and we support efforts that will help us achieve this ambition,” explained Sir Harpal Kumar, Chief Executive Officer at Cancer Research.

"Advances in detection technologies depend on the intelligent use of data and have the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives every year.

"The UK must remain an attractive place for the life sciences industry to invest. If this platform unites Government, academia, the charity sector, and industry, we will be primed to accelerate innovation and lead the healthcare sector to new heights," he added.

Up to £1.4bn has been invested in research and development capabilities thus far, where the use of AI will also be embedded in detecting early signs of Alzheimer’s, heart disease, dementia and diabetes.

Developing essential algorithms will work to drive this vision, and further support medical professionals across the entire spectrum of care.