Rene Haas, chief executive of Cambridge-based chip designer Arm Holdings, has stated that artificial intelligence (AI) will discover a cure for cancer that humans cannot in their lifetimes. He believes that while modelling how a DNA marker is affected by cancer is presently "too complex" for humans and current AI-running computers, future advancements will solve this issue.
However, Haas also told the BBC that the rapid expansion of AI is currently being impeded by a shortage of chips required to build data centres. He noted that Arm's power-efficient technology is now utilised in half of AI data centres globally.
Professor Chris Bakal from the Institute of Cancer Research, London, suggested that the crucial aspect for medical AI is the quality of data it is fed, rather than the size of the computer. He explained that in labs like his, AI is trained on data generated from patient samples, which could significantly reduce the time needed to develop new treatments.