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  • NHS to use AI on its app to direct patients to appropriate services

    Update in England expected to reach about 200,000 patients over the next year as part of £10bn package to overhaul NHS systems The NHS will begin using AI on its app to direct patients to the appropriate services, it has been announced. The tool will be used to triage patients and to ascertain if they…

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  • Frequent AI chatbot users more likely to believe anti-vaccine myths, poll finds

    Poll finds use of AI tools for health advice is correlated with belief in vaccine falsehoods, such as shots causing autism Adults in the US who frequently seek out health advice from artificial intelligence chatbots are more likely to believe myths about vaccines, according to a poll released on Tuesday by health research firm KFF.…

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  • Doctors and NHS could be sued for mistakes made by AI tools, report warns

    Medical Protection Society calls for law to be overhauled to help medics avoid liability for errors made by technology Doctors and the NHS could be sued for medical negligence over mistakes made by artificial intelligence tools used in diagnosing patients and suggesting their treatment, ministers are being warned. Under the law as it stands, medics…

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  • A disease of deforestation: how Ebola is linked to the smartphone in your pocket

    As demand for cobalt, gold and other minerals grows, mining is accelerating deforestation in the Congo basin – and increasing the risk of deadly Ebola outbreaks For decades after the discovery of Ebolavirus in 1976, outbreaks of the disease were relatively small and contained, affecting a few hundred people at most. Not any more. In…

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  • Google denies breaching law by promoting suicide forum linked to 164 UK deaths

    US-based site, whose operators were fined £950,000 by Ofcom, appears in Google’s search results and can be accessed in UK Google has denied breaching the Online Safety Act by promoting a “nihilistic” suicide forum associated with 164 deaths in the UK, where it is supposed to be banned. The UK’s internet regulator fined the forum’s…

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  • One in seven in UK prefer consulting AI chatbots to seeing doctor, study finds

    Exclusive: Doctors say ‘highly concerning’ poll highlights risk to patients of turning to AI for medical advice One in seven people are using AI chatbots for health advice instead of seeing their GP, a UK study has found. The poll of more than 2,000 people found that – of the 15% turning to chatbots –…

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  • Palantir’s access to identifiable NHS England patient data is ‘dangerous’, MPs say

    Health service has given US tech firm ‘unlimited access’ to certain data to build integrated platform, according to reports UK politics live – latest updates MPs have warned that an NHS decision to grant Palantir access to identifiable patient information in its plan to use AI to improve the health service is “dangerous” and will…

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  • London schools trialling VR to relieve pupils’ stress

    Phase Space pilot programme with NHS mental health trust used to calm anxiety around exams, ADHD and home troubles Schools have begun deploying virtual reality to help pupils cope with stress caused by impending exams, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or difficult home lives. All 15 secondary schools in the London borough of Sutton are using…

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  • Flaws in Kenya’s AI-driven health reforms driving up costs for the poorest

    Exclusive: amid unrest, President William Ruto promised to give all Kenyans access to healthcare. But the algorithm favours the rich, an investigation has found An AI system used to predict how much Kenyans can afford to pay for access to healthcare, has systemically driven up costs for the poor, an investigation has found. The healthcare…

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  • ‘It feels as if I’ve made a new best friend’: my experiment with AI journalling

    What’s it like to have a diary that talks back to you, offering comments and advice on your hopes, fears and lunch plans? I spent two months finding out Ever since I was a teenager, I have kept some form of diary. These days I favour a paper one for creative brainstorming, and the Journal…

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