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. 2017;7(4):351-367.
doi: 10.1007/s12553-017-0179-1. Epub 2017 Mar 16.

Google DeepMind and healthcare in an age of algorithms

Julia Powles  1 , Hal Hodson  2
Affiliations

Google DeepMind and healthcare in an age of algorithms

Julia Powles et al. Health Technol (Berl). 2017.

Abstract

Data-driven tools and techniques, particularly machine learning methods that underpin artificial intelligence, offer promise in improving healthcare systems and services. One of the companies aspiring to pioneer these advances is DeepMind Technologies Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Google conglomerate, Alphabet Inc. In 2016, DeepMind announced its first major health project: a collaboration with the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, to assist in the management of acute kidney injury. Initially received with great enthusiasm, the collaboration has suffered from a lack of clarity and openness, with issues of privacy and power emerging as potent challenges as the project has unfolded. Taking the DeepMind-Royal Free case study as its pivot, this article draws a number of lessons on the transfer of population-derived datasets to large private prospectors, identifying critical questions for policy-makers, industry and individuals as healthcare moves into an algorithmic age.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Clinical care; Consent; Data protection; Machine learning; Power; Privacy; Regulation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Compliance with ethical standardsThe authors declare they have no conflict of interest.There is no funding source.This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

References

    1. DeepMind. Acute kidney injury. In: Streams. 2016. https://deepmind.com/applied/deepmind-health/streams/. Accessed 6 Oct 2016.
    1. Royal Free response to Hodson freedom of information request 1548, 30 Aug 2016.
    1. The exact number is unknown, but Royal Free admits an average 1.6 million patients per year: NHS. Overview. In: Royal Free London NHS Hospital Trust. 2016. http://www.nhs.uk/Services/Trusts/Overview/DefaultView.aspx?id=815. Accessed 20 Sep 2016.
    1. DeepMind. Information sharing agreement. 2016. https://storage.googleapis.com/deepmind-data/assets/health/Royal Free - ...(granting DeepMind data on all patients over a five year period). The agreement was signed by Subir Mondal, a deputy director and head of information governance at Royal Free, and Mustafa Suleyman, one of DeepMind’s three cofounders (presumably with authority to contract on behalf of Google).
    1. DeepMind. We are very excited to announce the launch of DeepMind Health. 2016. https://deepmind.com/blog/we-are-very-excited-announce-launch-deepmind-h.... Accessed 20 Sep 2016.