It was about time that someone really bet on artificial intelligence (AI) in health, and for those who really need it most: the poorest. Although 40 million dollars in five years may seem few, it starts with something. That’s the money Microsoft is going to put into its new AI for Health program to solve the most pressing health problems, thanks to AI.
The idea is, with these millions of dollars, to equip researchers, non-profit organizations and other organizations with advanced technologies to solve the greatest challenges facing society in the field of health. But above all, the great objective is to reduce inequality and improve access to health care in the most underserved populations.
The program has a solid foundation of privacy, security and ethics, as well as being developed in collaboration with leading healthcare experts who are driving important medical initiatives. The new initiative is part of AI for Good , which Microsoft announced in 2017, and for which it acquired a commitment of investment of 165 million dollars to equip researchers, non-profit organizations and other organizations with advanced technologies to solve the biggest challenges society faces today. The initiative includes AI for Accessibility , AI for Cultural Heritage , AI for Earth, AI for Humanitarian Action and AI for Health (AI for health).
In the last 30 years, health professionals around the world have halved the number of annual deaths of children and mothers. This monumental achievement shows that great progress can be made when the global health community collaborates and works together, but it can go even further and that is precisely what the AI for Health initiative aims: to accelerate research and the search for new and better solutions through technology.
“In a new era of tech intensity , in which technology is redefining every organization and penetrating every aspect of our lives , artificial intelligence is key. And health care is perhaps where its application is most urgent, “they say at Microsoft.
However, the talent and resources required to equip healthcare researchers with the tools to implement AI and data science are unevenly distributed. More than 50% of artificial intelligence professionals work in the technology sector and less than 5% work within health sector and non-profit organizations. As a result, medical researchers are hampered, and it is therefore crucial to provide them with the tools they need to accelerate and improve their work and research.
Through the AI for Health program , work will be done to ensure that these types of organizations, academic, research and non-profit, have access to the latest technologies, resources and technical experts in order to help implement the technology of artificial intelligence in order to accelerate research, generate information and improve access to healthcare.
The initiative will focus on improving research and finding solutions; accelerate medical research to advance disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment; enhance knowledge sharing and improve findings on mortality and longevity, thereby protecting ourselves from global health crises; and reduce health inequality to improve access to care for underserved populations.
This new initiative joins Microsoft’s existing collaborations with organizations to help solve health problems such as discovering the cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), eliminating leprosy, detecting diabetic retinopathy to prevent blindness, and building a ecosystem that allows the secure exchange of biomedical data.
Among the first organizations to benefit from the AI for Health program are BRAC, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems (IRIS), Novartis Foundation, PATH and Seattle Children’s Research Institute.
