Artificial intelligence could help scientists find new ways to treat or cure cancer within the lifetime of people living today, according to Rene Haas, chief executive of chip designer Arm Holdings.
Haas told the BBC that advances in computing and AI could eventually allow researchers to solve biological problems that are currently too complicated for both humans and existing computer systems.
He pointed to the challenge of modelling how a DNA marker is affected by cancer. While the problem remains extremely complex, Haas said increasingly sophisticated computers and AI models could eventually provide answers that are beyond current capabilities.
“AI will help cure cancer,” Haas said, arguing that progress would come as researchers feed more models and data into increasingly powerful computing systems.
AI is already being used in parts of the UK’s National Health Service to support cancer diagnosis. The Department of Health and Social Care said in June that more than four million patients had received either a faster lung cancer diagnosis or an all-clear with the help of AI tools.
The government has also committed £20 million to expand AI-powered X-ray technology across NHS trusts in England by 2029. The technology acts as an additional review tool for radiologists and can help analyse scans more quickly.
Haas also predicted rapid progress in humanoid robots, saying they could become widely used within the next five years. He said AI was making robots more capable because they can learn from their surroundings and adapt to different tasks.
“With artificial intelligence, these robots can see, learn, and essentially be reprogrammed for new tasks,” Haas said.
He suggested that a robot designed to perform one task in the service industry could learn to carry out other activities, such as arranging towels, cleaning bins or performing other household duties.
A Royal Bank of Canada report has estimated that the global humanoid robot market could eventually be worth as much as $9 trillion by 2050. Basic household robots could begin entering homes within five years, although fully capable domestic robots may take much longer to achieve widespread adoption.
Arm designs chip technology used by some of the world’s largest technology companies, including Apple, Samsung, Qualcomm and Nvidia. More than 350 billion Arm-based chips have been shipped worldwide.
The company employs more than 7,000 people, including around 3,000 in the UK, and is headquartered in Cambridge. Its market value is estimated at about $269 billion.
Haas joined Arm in 2013 and became chief executive in 2022. Earlier this year, Arm proposed a compensation package that could make him a billionaire if the company reaches a valuation of $1 trillion.
His predictions highlight the growing expectations surrounding AI, both in medical research and robotics, as advances in computing continue to expand the range of tasks machines can perform.
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