The rapid development of artificial intelligence could eventually help scientists find cancer treatments that remain beyond human reach, according to the chief executive of British chip designer Arm Holdings, Rene Haas.
Haas said he believes AI could help deliver a cure for cancer within his lifetime, arguing that increasingly powerful computers will eventually be capable of modelling biological processes that are currently too complex for scientists and existing technology.
Speaking during a podcast, Haas said understanding how cancer affects DNA markers at the cellular and human level remains an extremely complicated challenge.
“AI is going to… find a cure for cancer that today you and I, other humans [could] not in our lifetimes,” he said, adding that he believes AI will eventually help cure cancer.
According to Haas, the growing sophistication of AI models and the computers required to run them could allow researchers to tackle problems that are currently beyond reach.
However, he warned that the expansion of AI is already facing a major obstacle, a shortage of advanced computer chips needed to power data centres.
Haas also predicted that humanoid robots could become widespread within the next five years as AI technology continues to develop.
Arm, headquartered in Cambridge, designs the CPU technology used in hundreds of billions of devices, including smartphones, vehicles, smartwatches and other electronic gadgets.
The company has benefited significantly from the global AI boom, with its share price reaching a level earlier this summer that made it, in cash terms, the most valuable UK-headquartered company in history.
