AI adoption in UK healthcare will be slower than hoped

Subject

Hopes of transforming NHS by rapidly deploying AI.

Significance

The government has announced a 370-million-pound (475-million-dollar) research programme to fund new PhDs in artificial intelligence (AI), with a focus on healthcare. The initiative comes in the wake of other steps to enhance the role of digital technologies and AI in particular in the UK health sector.

Impacts

• The growing profile of private-sector app providers in the NHS will intensify the debate over privatising the service.
• Opacity in AI algorithms makes it difficult to question or recognise faults with the technology.
• The United Kingdom is likely to lag behind the United States and China on AI healthcare adoption.