A study of a deal which has allowed Google DeepMind access to millions of healthcare records argues that more needs to be done to regulate such agreements between public sector bodies and private technology firms.
This new study entitled 'Google DeepMind and Healthcare in an Age of Algorithms' co-authored by Dr Julia Powles, who is associated with the Centre for Law, Medicine and Life Sciences (LML) and Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Law (CIPIL), and a Research Associate of the Faculty and Computer Laboratory, and The Economist's Hal Hodson, examines in detail Google DeepMind’s entry into the healthcare space.
The paper, published in the journal Health and Technology, critically analyses the architecture, communication, and oversight of a foundational deal with the Royal Free London NHS Hospital Trust. It also spans broader, future-oriented questions of transparency, data value, and market power in data-driven healthcare.
The publication has received wide press coverage, including in the BBC, Quartz, The Verge, Business Insider, Wired, ABC Radio National and numerous other outlets.
On 22 March Julia gave the Annual Lecture on Law and Emerging Technologies at the University of Leeds, entitled 'Data Kingdoms and Keys: The Case of Google and the NHS' which focused on the paper.
The authors are now working on a second paper, analysing the terms of the revised DeepMind-Royal Free arrangement since November 2016 and the ongoing regulatory investigations.
For more information see the University Research pages.