The Financial Times reports that Microsoft has formed a new consumer health group within its AI organization. At the helm is Microsoft AI"s CEO Mustafa Suleyman, who co-founded DeepMind and led its health unit. Now, Suleyman has recruited a number of former DeepMind staffers to lead Microsoft"s charge into consumer health AI. That includes hiring Dominic King, the former head of DeepMind"s health unit, as vice president of the new London-based team.
Suleyman has also hired other DeepMind alumni, including Christopher Kelly, a clinical research scientist at DeepMind and a neonatal intensive care doctor. Two other DeepMind alumni have also joined Microsoft"s health AI unit.
According to the FT report, Microsoft has identified healthcare as one of the most critical use cases for responsible AI development, with a mission to "inform, support and empower everyone" with these advanced technologies.
This also represents something of a homecoming for Suleyman and went on to lead its health-focused work. However, the DeepMind health unit was subsequently mired in controversy about data privacy related to its deals with the UK"s National Health Service-to the point where it was ultimately spun out as an independent Google subsidiary back in 2019.
Suleyman left DeepMind the same year, joined Google"s California headquarters to take a policy role, and later left in 2022 to become a venture investor. He went on to found the AI startup Inflection, from which he and most of his team were poached by Microsoft earlier this year.
The establishment of this new division underlines the race in the tech industry to develop AI applications for everyday consumer use, especially in healthcare. According to a recent Deloitte survey (via FT), 48% of respondents have turned to generative AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and Claude to address health-related queries around conditions, symptoms, and mental health.
Source: The Financial Times