Palantir CEO and co-founder Alex Karp has told the BBC that any sale of NHS data collected under a £500m contract would be solely at the discretion of the government. His firm is looking to win a contract that will enable NHS data to be brought together to improve healthcare services using AI. Science Secretary Michelle Donelan has said that people’s private data would not be sold without consent. Karp has defended the firm’s approach to gaining a foothold in the UK health service, having charged the NHS just £1 in 2020 for the development of its Covid data store.
Karp stated that patients’ data would be safeguarded if Palantir secured the contract for the proposed federated data platform. “We’re the only company of our size and scale that doesn’t buy your data, doesn’t sell your data, doesn’t transfer it to any other company,” he said. “That data belongs to the government of the United Kingdom.” Karp added that the way in which Palantir’s product was constructed meant he did not have access to patients’ data and would not be able to sell it.
Labour’s shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, has said that “Labour is completely clear: we will not sell off NHS patients’ data.” Palantir has been criticised for its minimal charges to the NHS to gain access. However, Karp said that he believes that most software products do not work, so used this approach to position Palantir advantageously. The company’s Covid software applications were hugely successful during the pandemic, saving “thousands and thousands and thousands of lives,” he said.
Karp’s comments come ahead of a major UK summit on artificial intelligence next week, hosted by the government at Bletchley Park. The summit will be aimed at tech industry officials, academics, and political leaders and is intended to address future threats posed by developments in AI. There will be a focus on setting up a global AI watchdog to monitor developments. Karp has praised the initiative and said it places the UK at the forefront of AI in Europe
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