Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to progress the use of algorithms and artificial intelligence in diagnosing cancer.

The NHS Artificial Intelligence Laboratory is accelerating the safe, ethical and effective development and use of AI technologies in health and social care, including earlier cancer detection. Through the AI in Health and Care Award, we are currently funding the trial of several technologies which can help with the earlier detection of various forms of cancer including lung, breast and skin cancers. AI is being trialled to support clinicians through the interpretation of images such as mammography and computed tomography scans and make optimal decisions with tools to reduce time to treatment, unnecessary invasive procedures and increase survival rates.