The NHS will be at the forefront of the government’s plan to ensure that the UK becomes a superpower in the development of artificial intelligence (AI), including cutting waiting times and the use of NHS data in a National Data Library.
On his speech on the UK strategy to ensure that the UK was a leader in the development of AI, Prime Minister Keir Starmer (pictured) opened with a story about how the NHS could use it to save lives.
Speaking at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) Starmer told the story of ‘Deb’, who had collapsed due to a stroke – and how by using AI the NHS was save her life.
“Doctors used artificial intelligence to hep pinpoint the exact location of the problem and successfully removed it.
“Now as you know with strokes, its always a race against the clock. Too slow, and the patient may die. Every second of delay increases the risk of paralysis.
“But in Deb’s case, with AI the whole procedure took less than three minutes. They saved her life.
“That’s the power of AI in action.”
He said “AI isn’t something in the future over the next hill – its the present. Its already here, changing lives. “
NHS waiting times
Starmer also spoke on how AI could reduce NHS waiting times.
“AI can save hundreds of thousands of hours lost to missed appointments – because it can identify those on the list most likely not to turn up and help get them the support and maybe change for a more convenient appointment.”
AI would also have vast potential in other aspects of medicine, including our entire understanding of biology.
“The idea of personalised medicine tailored to our DNA, the hope of treating diseases that we once feared incurable, the ability to predict a preventable illness long before it strikes.
“Look at the lives it will save.
“Think about the impact on your life. Think about all the doctors and nurses who will have much more time for the personal touch, the connection the service that people really value.
“In a way that the irony of AI – it will make public services more human.
“We will connect staff with the reasons that they came to public service in the first place.”
AI maker
He said that the UK was already a leader in the development of AI, third or fourth in the world, behind the US and China. And that when it came to further developing AI, his government would ensure that the UK was an “AI maker” not an “AI taker”.
He said the UK would make AI breakthroughs and export them, rather than adopt those breakthroughs and import them.
“We’re going to make the breakthroughs, we’re going to create the wealth. And we’re going to make AI work for everyone in our country.
“This is the nation that gave birth to the modern computer and the world wide web. Wo mark my words, Britain will be one of the great AI superpowers.
“I’m determined the UK becomes the best place to start and scale an AI business.”
National data library
The NHS will also play a part in the development of a national data library, Starmer said.
That library will give “safe access to the unique resource of our NHS and our data.”
When questioned about which data would be available via the national data library, Starmer said; “We are in a unique position in this country because we’ve got the National Health Service.
“The use of that data has already driven forward advances in medicine and will continue to do so.
“We have to see this as a huge opportunity that will impact on the lives of millions of people.”
“The example i gave at the beginning of the speech was of someone who already had a stroke but this has the potential to get ahead of that, to predict and prevent.
“What a difference that will make to the lives of millions of people.
“It is important that we keep control of that data. I completely accept that
“But I don’t think that we should have a defensive stance here that will inhibit the sort of breakthroughs that we need.”
He added that when it came to NHS health data “it is really important that we stay in control of this, and we will stay in control of it.”
