Today Microsoft chief data analytics officer, John Kahan, announced and detailed the new healthcare initiative they have launched, AI for Health.
It will be a part of the AI for Good initiative with the goal to advance solutions to urgent real-time global health challenges.
“AI for Health is a philanthropic initiative that complements our broader work in Microsoft Healthcare,” wrote Kahan when announcing the programme.
The commitment from Microsoft will help fund not-for-profits, researchers, and healthcare specialists with budgets for various global activities to improve healthcare using AI. The AI for Health initiative will be a five-year programme focussed on the following three key goals.
- Quest for discovery: Accelerating medical research to advance prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases
- Global health insights: Increasing people’s understanding of mortality and longevity to protect against the global health crisis
- Health equity: Reducing health inequity and improving access to care for underserved populations
Anyone who becomes a part of the programme will have special access to Microsoft’s data scientists, AI applications, and Cloud tools. Armed with this data and the applications it gives people on the programme an increased possibility of designing a useful and innovative solution to a global problem.
Inaugural AI for Health grantees include BRAC, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems (IRIS), Novartis Foundation, PATH, and Seattle Children’s Research Institute.
Working with the above partners, Microsoft plans to play a part in eliminating various global diseases and ultimately save lives.
The larger initiative, AI for Good, is a $165 million commitment to empower people and organisations working to create a positive impact on society that address the world’s toughest issues. The AI for Good initiative includes AI for Accessibility, AI for Cultural Heritage, AI for Earth, and AI for Humanitarian Action.
