Alibaba DAMO Academy partners to drive AI in health, climate
The partnership will involve joint activities under the initiatives AI for Health, AI for Climate, and AI for Science. These activities will comprise both online lectures and in-person events, and are designed to facilitate knowledge sharing and expert exchanges between the two organisations. Both parties will also explore potential cooperation in robotics and embodied intelligence, as well as deepen work in AI and video technologies with the goal of supporting global technological development, solution deployment, and standardisation.
In addition to these activities, Alibaba DAMO Academy has become a founding member of the United Nations-led AI Skills Coalition, a platform aiming to help build AI skills and capacity in both developed and developing countries. Through this coalition, DAMO Academy will support efforts to empower governments, businesses, and organisations in less developed regions to fully leverage AI for sustainable development and good governance.
Healthcare applications in Singapore and Saudi Arabia
As part of its AI for Health efforts, Alibaba DAMO Academy is collaborating with NHG Health in Singapore to promote innovation in medical AI research and clinical applications at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Tan Tock Seng Hospital is one of Singapore's largest multidisciplinary hospitals, and the joint initiative targets early screening for pancreatic cancer, osteoporosis, sarcopenia, breast cancer, and kidney masses.
The collaboration is utilising the strengths of both DAMO Academy and NHG Health, focusing on research, development, and the external validation of AI-powered early detection tools. The aim is to broaden access to precision medicine and enable earlier diagnosis and treatment. DAMO Academy intends for this partnership to support more timely and effective healthcare interventions by integrating advanced AI technologies within clinical settings.
Furthermore, in Saudi Arabia, DAMO Academy is working with Abdul Latif Jameel Health to examine opportunities for AI-assisted diagnosis of a range of acute and chronic medical conditions. This includes cancers such as pancreatic, gastric, and oesophageal cancers, chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and fatty liver disease, as well as urgent conditions such as acute aortic syndromes and pulmonary embolism. "This partnership leverages the combined expertise of both organizations in medical AI technology and scientific research. The focus is on enhancing early screening for conditions such as pancreatic cancer, osteoporosis, sarcopenia, breast cancer, and kidney masses. Through joint research, development, and external validation, the collaboration aims to expand access to AI-driven early detection tools, ultimately supporting the advancement of precision medicine and enabling more timely and effective treatments."
This joint work seeks to extend the benefits of medical AI systems to wider populations and regions, merging DAMO Academy's technology products with Abdul Latif Jameel Health's global resources. By doing so, it is expected that more people will gain access to advanced diagnostic tools designed to facilitate the early identification and management of various medical conditions.
Featured innovations and recognition
Several of DAMO Academy's AI systems have recently been recognised in the United Nations' AI for Good: Innovate for Impact Interim Report 2025. One of the featured projects is Baguan AI Weather Forecasting, which produces specialised weather indicators that can support power energy generation, agricultural meteorology, low-altitude forecasting, and renewable energy planning at the regional level.
In healthcare, DAMO Academy's PANDA system (Pancreatic Cancer Detection with Artificial Intelligence) was highlighted for its ability to use deep learning to detect and categorise pancreatic lesions accurately using non-contrast CT scans. DAMO GRAPE (Gastric Cancer Risk Assessment Procedure with Artificial Intelligence), a framework for analysing three-dimensional CT scans to detect and segment gastric cancers, was also noted for its high sensitivity and specificity.
According to DAMO Academy, these innovations are part of its ongoing commitment to support scientific advancement and societal benefit through artificial intelligence. By contributing technologies and expertise to joint international and regional initiatives, the organisation seeks to further the practical deployment of AI that can address health, environmental, and scientific challenges across diverse communities.
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This timing has been a common practice of successive governments recognising that this is the most difficult time for media scrutiny before it is taken over by other news. If the difficult to substantiate claim of $50 million savings per year stood up to rigorous scrutiny it would have been released at a time convenient for media scrutiny. But 'chumocracy' and 'cosyism' necessitated otherwise. Ian Powell Otaihanga Second Opinion is a regular health systems blog in New Zealand. Ian Powell is the editor of the health systems blog 'Otaihanga Second Opinion.' He is also a columnist for New Zealand Doctor, occasional columnist for the Sunday Star Times, and contributor to the Victoria University hosted Democracy Project. For over 30 years , until December 2019, he was the Executive Director of Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, the union representing senior doctors and dentists in New Zealand.
