Google Cloud and Ai2 have partnered with the Cancer AI Alliance (CAIA) to advance cancer research using artificial intelligence (AI).
Founded in 2014, Ai2 is a Seattle-based non-profit AI research institute focused on foundational AI research and applications that deliver real-world impact.
The collaboration aims to transform cancer treatment by accelerating the discovery of cures and more effective therapies through AI-powered insights.
Google Cloud and Ai2 are contributing $10m each to the initiative, providing crucial technology solutions to expedite scientific breakthroughs.
Google Cloud will provide planet-scale AI infrastructure and data analytics tools, while Ai2 will offer expertise in training large-scale models for cancer research.
Google Public Sector state and local government and education director Reymund Dumlao said: “The Cancer AI Alliance represents a major advancement in harnessing AI to transform cancer discovery and research.
“Google Cloud’s planet-scale AI infrastructure and analytics combined with Ai2’s mission to make open models more accessible will help accelerate research breakthroughs and drive improvements in patient outcomes.”
CAIA, led by Seattle’s Fred Hutch Cancer Center, aims to create an open AI infrastructure that ensures data privacy and security, and collaboration among cancer research institutions.
By combining leading cancer centres, CAIA seeks to develop generalisable AI models that can be shared across institutions, from large centres to smaller regional hospitals.
Ai2 will play a pivotal role in AI training efforts, collaborating with individual cancer centres to tailor AI models to specific needs.
The models will scale across institutions, ensuring robust data privacy and security.
The Alliance is committed to developing AI models that can analyse vast amounts of anonymised patient data without compromising privacy.
In partnership with Ai2 and Google Cloud, CAIA is expected to drive rapid progress in AI-powered cancer research, fostering innovation and collaboration across the field.
Ai2 CEO Ali Farhadi said: “At Ai2, we are not only committed to building state-of-the-art AI models, but also to creating open, scalable systems that allow cancer centres to collaborate in a distributed and private way.
“For the first time, cancer centres are bringing their data together, and it’s imperative we architect data preparation and model training in a way that protects patient privacy while demonstrating the advancements we make by sharing data effectively and securely.
“Our open, yet privacy-protected distributed approach allows researchers and clinicians to build on and learn from AI models without the need to directly share data.”
