THE rise of AI now seems unstoppable, from smart toothbrushes to choosing the TV we watch, blocking junk emails and making our trains run on time.
Cancer is no exception, with the high-powered technology already turbo-charging research, diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
But Rene Haas, chief executive of Cambridge-based Arm Holdings, now believes that AI could even “find a cure for cancer” in our lifetime.
Tech giant Arm designs the brains of microchips that are used in hundreds of billions of phones, cars, smartwatches and gadgets across the globe.
Among the products that rely on the company’s brainpower and chips include Apple‘s iPads and iPhones, Facebook, Amazon’s Kindle e-readers, Ford‘s cars and Canon cameras.
Haas, who stepped down from the board of pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca in April, told the BBC’s Big Boss Interview podcast: “AI is going to… find a cure for cancer that today you and I, other humans [could] not in our lifetimes. I believe in our lifetime, AI will help cure cancer.
READ MORE ON AI
TOOTH FAIRY
I was one of the first to try Dyson’s £420 AI-powered jet-flossing toothbrush
‘SUPERHUMAN’
NHS trials AI to spot heart disease in just two seconds – as 400K on waitlist
“Modelling a cell, modelling a human, modelling how a DNA marker is impacted by cancer – it’s too complex a problem, not only for humans today, but the computers that run AI.
“However, going forward, as we feed more and more of the models into these computers, and the computers get more sophisticated to run the models, they’re going to solve it.”
New drugs can take roughly 20 years to develop and around 95 per cent of research and development efforts fail.
But Haas argued that AI will shorten both the time it takes to discover new drugs and the time needed to test them – with some human trials eventually supplemented or replaced by AI modelling.
Most read in Health
SUPPLY SLOWS
Millions on top NHS drug forced to RATION meds for months amid shortage crisis
TAKE NOTE
The 5 little-known signs of blood cancer as BBC star reveals incurable diagnosis
SLEIGHING IT
Lose 2st by Christmas with our 3/3/3 plan – no fat jabs or calorie counting
EYE SPY
Tiny mark under your eye ‘indicates your risk of stroke in the next 10 years’
He did, however, acknowledge that the world cannot currently manufacture enough chips to meet demand.
Large AI models require vast amounts of memory and computing power, while technology companies are committing hundreds of billions of dollars to new data centres.
Across the NHS already, AI is increasingly being used in everything from administrative tasks such as organising appointments to assessing mammograms.
Last year, the health service also announced that pioneering artificial intelligence tools will be used on an “unprecedented scale” to help millions of patients receive “faster and smarter care”.
Current trials include using AI to check scans for prostate, breast and lung cancers earlier.
An AI detection system, called DERM, also compares photos taken with a smartphone to a huge database of similar images to help doctors decide if moles are cancerous.
It can “see” pixels many times smaller than a human hair, revealing worries on scans or test results that might be invisible to the naked eye or missed by busy doctors.
Separate research last year also discovered that AI could detect throat cancer from the sound of your voice.
Cancer screenings in England
CATCHING cancer early gives you the best chance of survival, and a huge part of that is attending regular screenings.
NHS programmes can help diagnose the disease, or your risk of it, and improve the likelihood of successful treatment.
There are three national screening programmes in England: cervical screening, breast screening and bowel screening.
“If you are eligible, please make every effort to have your screening test as they can detect a problem early, before you have any symptoms. ,” the NHS says.
“Finding out about a problem early can mean that treatment is more effective.”
Cervical screening
This is offered in England to people with a cervix aged 25 to 64 and is routinely carried out every three years up to the age of 49, and every five from 50 to 64.
Depending on the result, people may be recalled earlier.
During a cervical screening, samples are tested for high risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which causes nearly all cervical cancers.
Those that test positive are then analysed further.
Breast screening
Breast screenings, which involve an X-ray test called a mammogram that can spot cancers when they are too small to see or feel, are usually offered to women aged 50 to 71 in England.
But the NHS is trialling them for women under 50 if they have a high risk of developing breast cancer.
Bowel screening
This test detects whether patients are showing any early signs of cancer.
It is available to everyone aged 50 to 74, with at-home kits automatically sent out every two years, so make sure your GP has your correct address.
The test involves providing a small poo sample to be checked for tiny amounts of blood, which could be caused by cancer.
If you’re 75 or over, you can ask for a kit every two years by phoning the free bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 60 60.
Lung screening
Lung cancer screening is offered to people aged 55 to 74 who are smokers or have smoked in the past.
These are not yet available nationwide but many areas do routine lung health checks by invitation.
A health check includes a questionnaire and potentially a scan to check your lungs.
Source: NHS