UK govt to invest £100 million for developing AI-powered solutions to overcome healthcare challenges

The new funding for AI could accelerate the development of novel dementia therapies.  

The UK Government is investing £100 million to accelerate the use of AI in life sciences and healthcare under a new mission.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the AI Life Sciences Accelerator Mission in his speech last week.

The new initiative will capitalise on the UK’s unique strengths in securing “health data and cutting-edge AI.”

It will also help to identify those at risk of “dementia” and will ensure that patients participate in the trials at the right time to develop new treatments effectively.

Henceforth, it will provide us with better data on how well new therapies work.

Sunak said: “AI can help us solve some of the greatest social challenges of our time. AI could help find novel dementia treatments or develop vaccines for cancer.”

“That’s why today we’re investing a further £100 million to accelerate the use of AI on the most transformational breakthroughs in treatments for previously incurable diseases,” he added.

Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan said: “Safe, responsible AI will change the game for what it’s possible to do in healthcare, closing the gap between the discovery and application of innovative new therapies, diagnostic tools, and ways of working that will give clinicians more time with their patients.”

The government will collaborate with industry, the NHS, academia and medical research charities to achieve the Life Sciences Vision that includes eight critical healthcare missions – from cancer treatment to tackling dementia.

Moreover, the £100 million funding will explore how AI is tackling these health conditions, which are associated with some of the highest mortality and morbidity rates.

Within the next 18 months, this initiative will enable us to allocate resources to regions in the UK with the most pressing clinical needs for testing and implementing new technologies.

It is estimated that in the next five years, AI will transform “mental health research through developing world-class data infrastructure to improve the lives of those living with mental health conditions.”

Furthermore, it highlighted that the funding will target opportunities to “deploy AI in clinical settings and improve health outcomes across a range of conditions.”

It will also seek to fund innovative AI research that can produce general-purpose applications, allowing clinicians to dedicate more time to their patients.