Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
AI Researchers Say Google's Med-PaLM Product Not Ready For Patients
Bloomberg: Google's Med-PaLM AI Product For Medical Industry Isn't Ready For Patients Yet
One day in February 2022, two AI researchers at Alphabet Inc.’s Google found themselves engrossed in conversation about artificial intelligence and its potential for real applications in healthcare. As Alan Karthikesalingam and Vivek Natarajan discussed adapting Google’s existing AI models to medical settings, their conversation stretched for hours and into dinner over dosas at a restaurant near the tech giant’s Mountain View headquarters. By the end of the evening, Natarajan had written a first draft of a document that described the possibilities for large language models in health care, including research directions and its challenges. (Alba and Love, 7/12)
CNBC: The A.I. Revolution In Health Care Is Coming
The pandemic brought about an explosion in the use of telemedicine. Now, artificial intelligence is set to further transform health care. AI-driven health care goes beyond chatbot doctors and AI diagnoses. Many of the transformations happen behind the scenes with productivity and comprehension enhancements. With 83% of executives agreeing science tech capabilities could help address health-related challenges around the world, the move to AI-driven health care may seem slow at first, but the wave appears to be building. (Curry, 7/12)
Meanwhile, a key figure expects AI to rapidly advance —
The Hill: Musk Predicts ‘Digital Superintelligence’ Will Exist In 5–6 Years
Elon Musk said he believes “digital superintelligence” would exist in the next five or six years, during a conversation with Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) hosted on Twitter Spaces Wednesday. “I think it’s five or six years away,” the Twitter owner and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla said in the conversation about artificial intelligence. (Fortinsky, 7/12)
On "custom" gene therapy innovations —
Stat: Custom Gene Therapy Hints At New Path For Rare Disease Treatments
When Timothy Yu developed milasen, a custom drug for a young girl named Mila with Batten disease, he ignited a spark in the field of personalized medicine. Milasen was the first medicine specifically designed for a single person, and it was developed in just about a year. In response to milasen, nonprofit organizations have emerged calling for the development of personalized therapies for the estimated 400 million people living with rare diseases worldwide. (Iskandar, 7/12)
