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Achieving Better Patient Outcomes with Artificial Intelligence

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By Dr.Simon Kos, Microsoft Chief Medical Officer

 

Nurse Florence Nightingale may be most well-known as the British Army’s lady with the lamp, assiduously conducting night rounds and attending to the wounded by candle light.

 

But by demonstrating the link between poor sanitary conditions and high mortality rates in hospitals, it was her pioneering use of data collection and visualisation that still resonates today.

 

In 2018, medicine faces a different set of challenges, with longer life expectancies and population growth increasing the number of patients suffering with chronic conditions requiring ongoing care.

 

This has led to the cost of delivering healthcare increasing faster than GDP and quickly becoming unsustainable.

 

Transforming delivery with data

 

Over 160 years might have passed since Florence Nightingale’s day, but addressing these challenges still depends on data.

 

By using it to unlock valuable insights, there’s an incredible opportunity to both accelerate medical breakthroughs and improve patient care.

 

 

Over the past decade, a great deal of focus has been on digitizing the sector’s records.

 

But while this has been a success improving performance from an operational stand point, we’ve yet to see it really transform the way we deliver services to patients.

 

At present, health is data rich and information poor. By applying cognitive technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) to this data, the sector can shift from traditional reactive treatments to a more proactive health system based on prevention, wellness, faster diagnosis and precision medicine.

 

 

Nicholas McQuire, VP, Enterprise Research at analyst firm CCS Insight, sees AI “radically transform the health care industry over the next five years.

 

AI will bring important improvements in operational effectiveness, care delivery and above all, patient outcomes.

 

It will also be a vital tool in helping solve some of our most challenging health-related problems, not least how to balance restricted budgets and reduced workforces against the growth of chronic conditions.”

 

Providing personalized treatment

 

Evolving approaches to cancer illustrate the way in which AI can revolutionise healthcare across the whole sector.

 

Historically considered an acute terminal illness, medical knowledge is improving to the point where most cancers are classified as highly treatable conditions.

 

That said, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) between 30 and 50 percent of cancer deaths could be avoided with prevention, early detection and treatment.

 

With the total economic impact of cancer costing the global economy over an estimated $1.16 trillion a year, we’re increasingly turning to the power of AI to address this issue, with oncology one of the most advanced areas of precision medicine.

 

Project InnerEye, used by Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, provides a good example, applying two core branches of AI, machine learning and computer vision, for the analysis of radiological images.

 

According to a study from TMC, the UK currently has less than five radiologists per 100,000 people, and will struggle to cope with demand for scans in the short, medium and long term.

 

Designed to identify tumours in a matter of seconds, Project InnerEye can help speed up diagnosis, as well as improve the delivery of treatments like radiotherapy, by providing exact delineation between cancerous tissue and healthy anatomy.

 

In addition, it promises to provide better monitoring of disease progression during treatments so they can be adjusted in line with how patients respond.

 

This has the potential to result in more targeted and effective chemotherapy with fewer side effects for patients.

 

 

These applications provide us with an opportunity to transition from a predominantly experimental approach to the ability to be incredibly precise.

 

 

Advances in genetic medicine now include genome sequencing of individual patients and tumours, allowing personalized diagnosis and treatment.

 

While progress in this field is encouraging, due to the complex range of genetic mutations responsible for cancer, the specialist skills needed to interpret genome information, and the high volume of new cancer cases each year, it’s not currently scalable to use this for every patient.

 

 

This has seen organisations like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital turn to the cloud to facilitate data sharing with global research communities.

 

Working with Microsoft Research’s genomics group, computational biologists from the hospital developed an online platform capable of managing vast quantities of anonymised genomic data.

 

By comparing raw genomic data with reference genomes to identify where they differ, researchers hope to identify the variants responsible for cancers, and make progress toward eventually finding a cure.

 

 

Helping patients take control of their care

 

A key objective of these AI initiatives is minimising unnecessary and costly hospital admissions and readmissions.

 

Discovering only eight percent of heart surgery patients were following doctor’s orders upon leaving hospital, the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS) wanted to tackle this issue head-on by creating a number of online ‘hubs’ for management of remote care plans.

 

These range from monitoring use of medication and proscribed therapies, to providing virtual consultations with specialists.

 

 

HUS believes AI has a central role to play in optimising these kinds of virtual services.

 

Visa Honkanen, Director of Strategic Development for HUS, explains “At the moment, we have no way of analyzing what’s happening, what’s useful … and how people are accessing and experiencing these services.

 

By using machine learning to analyze the data, we will be able to direct patients to the right place right away, and also see which of our digital tools work best, abandon the tools that aren’t working, and focus on the most promising ones.”

 

 

Ensuring responsible use of AI

 

While AI presents many benefits for healthcare, there are important considerations that need to be taken into account.

 

Former Director-General of the WHO Dr Margaret Chan warns “Artificial intelligence is a new frontier for the health sector…The potential of AI in health care is huge, but so is the need to take some precautions”.

 

 

From a data management perspective, delivering real value with AI depends on access to a bank of patient information, a sensitive resource that needs to be safeguarded.

 

The EU’s new GDPR guidelines provide a great benchmark standard to start from, however, medical professionals, regulators and policy makers will need to address the issue of“secondary”uses for health data i.e. usage not relating to the patients direct care.

 

Ensuring that privacy and data protections are systematically implemented will be vital for continued improvement of healthcare and public health.

 

 

At Microsoft, we were the first major cloud provider to incorporate an international code of practice for cloud privacy, ISO/IEC 27018 and we also back those protections with strong contractual commitments.

 

 

Like Florence Nightingale founding modern nursing in 19th century, today technology and health care are collaborating to create a modern medical sector fit for the 21st.

 

These developments will create a hybrid workforce where doctors and AI work together to solve medicine’s greatest challenges.

 

By helping the public play a more active, informed role in the care relationship, and empowering health professionals with the best information, AI will drive services that are more effective, efficient and accessible than ever before.


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Ugo Onwuaso is an ICT enthusiast. He believes technology should be used for general good. He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the Lagos state University. Dear Reader, Your support matters. But we believe that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. That is why, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and finance and how they affect lives. Our incisive and analytical view of how technology news affects the daily life help individuals and organizations make up their minds. Quality journalism costs money. Today, we're asking that you support us to do more. Kindly support our effort to deliver technology and finance journalism to everyone in the world. Donate as little as N1,000. Bank transfers can be made to: UBA Plc 1017156876 Communication Week Media Ltd

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LASTMA Deploys Drones to Manage Traffic in Lagos

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Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has deployed state-of-the-art Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to enhance traffic management, strengthen security surveillance and reinforce public safety across Lagos metropolis.

LASTMA Deploys Drones to Manage Traffic in Lagos

Mr Olalekan Bakare-Oki, general manager of the authority, made this known in a statement on Thursday in Lagos.

Bakare-Oki, said the transition from traditional analog method to advanced digital intelligence harmonised with the visionary mandate of the state government.

He added that “this accentuates the administration’s steadfast dedication to leveraging innovation in pursuit of sustainable urban mobility, heightened safety and operational excellence.

“Through aerial reconnaissance and high-definition monitoring capabilities, the UAVs will empower LASTMA to be proactive in traffic management and control across the state.

“The deployment of device signifies a watershed moment in Lagos’ traffic management ecosystem, seamlessly elevating the authority from conventional reactive enforcement to predictive, intelligence-driven operations.”

Bakare-Oki said the drones would provide real-time aerial oversight, enabling swifter interventions, improved safety outcomes, augmented emergency response coordination, bolstered security frameworks, and the cultivation of a more disciplined motoring culture.

He reassured the public that the deployment would be conducted under stringent adherence to privacy safeguards, ethical standards and regulatory compliance, thereby reinforcing public trust in the system’s transparency and integrity.

“The authority reaffirms its unwavering resolve to continuously innovate in traffic management, reduce travel times, curtail road traffic mishaps, and preserve lives and property throughout Lagos State,” he said.

“This milestone stands as yet another resounding testament to the THEMES+ Agenda of Gov. Sanwo-Olu, wherein technology and innovation serve as indispensable drivers of a safer, smarter, and more habitable Lagos.”

The LASTMA boss maintained that this modern technological intervention would complement LASTMA’s prompt responsiveness to emergencies, accidents and other traffic-related contingencies, in addition to existing LASTMA Toll-Free Hotline — 080000527862.


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Why Elon Musk Halted Sales of Starlink in Lagos, Abuja

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Starlink, the satellite internet provider operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has stopped taking new orders for residential kits in parts of Lagos and in Abuja after network capacity was reached, the company’s online ordering page shows.

starlink

Neighborhoods listed as sold out include Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Lagos Island and Surulere.

Prospective customers in those areas can join a wait list by paying a deposit and will be notified when service space opens.

At Chevyville Estate in Lekki, one resident trying to subscribe was met with a message that read: “Starlink service is currently at capacity in your area. However, you can place a deposit now to reserve your spot on the waitlist and receive a notification as soon as service becomes available again.”

That experience mirrors what consumers in other busy districts are seeing.

A Starlink engineer who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal limits said the company temporarily closes new sales in zones where adding customers would degrade service for existing users.

“It happens when the area cannot take a new customer due to its designed capacity at the time,” the engineer said.

“This also helps preserve a steady connection for people already online.” Remedies can include adding more ground infrastructure, securing regulatory clearances, or expanding satellite coverage.

Since entering Nigeria, Starlink’s monthly fee has climbed: the service began at about N38,000 (roughly $25), rose to about N45,000 ($30) and — by 2025 — was charging roughly N56,000 ($37).

Starlink has cited naira depreciation, higher operating expenses and costs tied to meeting rules set by the Nigerian Communications Commission for the increases.

Those higher prices, and the service interruptions, appear to have affected subscription numbers. After a near eight-month pause that began in November 2024 and was tied to limited bandwidth and regulatory issues, orders resumed in late June 2025.

Still, data from the NCC show active Starlink users in Nigeria fell from 65,564 in the fourth quarter of 2024 to 59,509 in the first quarter of 2025, a decline of more than 6,000 users, or about 9 percent.

Analysts point to the price rises, service holds and economic pressure as key reasons for the drop; some customers have switched to cheaper alternatives or stopped service.

As Elon Musk maintains his position as the world’s richest individual, with a net worth of $429 billion (according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index), his commitment to global digital inclusion through Starlink remains a central focus.

Starlink’s activity in Nigeria is part of a wider push across Africa.

The company has recently moved to enter markets including Lesotho and Somalia and secured permission to operate in the Democratic Republic of Congo after earlier restrictions,

SpaceX is also working with operators such as Airtel Africa to reach rural areas where wired internet is scarce.

For many users in Nigeria, the appeal of Starlink remains clear: a reliable option where terrestrial networks falter.

But until the company expands capacity or adjusts pricing, consumers in dense urban pockets may have to wait for access or turn to other providers.

 

Credit excluding Headline: Pm News

 

 

 


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Meta Connect 2025 Highlights: Evolution of AI Glasses, Metaverse Momentum, and More

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Mark Zuckerberg and Diplo just ran off the Connect stage — literally — to kickstart the after party, and we’re here to recap all the news you might’ve missed. But first, let’s talk about another dynamic duo that’s taking the world by storm: glasses and AI.

It’s no secret that we’re working to bring personal superintelligence to everyone. And glasses are the ideal form factor to deliver it. It’s the only form factor that lets your AI see what you see, hear what you hear, and talk with you throughout the day. AI glasses can help improve your memory, heighten your senses, and let you seamlessly communicate with others — all while staying fully present in the moment.

We design our AI glasses with three core values in mind:

  1. They need to be awesome glasses, full stop. They should be light, feel comfortable, and look great.
  2. The technology needs to get out of the way. We want to give you powerful tools when you want them that fade into the background when you don’t.
  3. We take superintelligence seriously. Our glasses are engineered to get better over time. As the AI improves, your glasses do, too.

And because good things come in threes, we’ve got three major AI glasses announcements to share.

Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2): Extended Battery Life, 3K Video, & More

The next generation of Ray-Ban Meta glasses is here. With up to 2x the battery life compared to its predecessor, Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) offers up to eight hours of mixed use as well as ultra HD 3K video recording — more than double the previous number of pixels — for sharper, smoother, move vivid content capture.We announced conversation focus, a new feature coming soon that’ll help you hear better in noisy environments. If you’re eating at a hot new restaurant, commuting on the train, or catching your favorite DJ’s latest set, conversation focus uses your AI glasses’ open-ear speakers to amplify the voice of the person you’re talking to. And it’s coming to our existing Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta HSTN glasses as a software update, too.

We’re enhancing live AI. As we make battery and energy efficiency optimizations, Meta AI will transition from something you prompt with a wake word to an always-available assistant. While all-day AI is a technical challenge we’re heads-down focusing on, you can currently use live AI for an hour or two.

We’re introducing three new limited-time-only seasonal colors and a limited-edition Wayfarer Matte Transparent frame with two lens color options to better match your personal style.

The next generation of Ray-Ban Meta is available now on meta.com and Ray-Ban.com starting at $379 USD. Learn more.

Oakley Meta Vanguard: The Next Era for Performance AI Glasses

For AI glasses to truly go mainstream, we need frames designed for different activities and aesthetics so they match whatever you’re into. Following up on the success of Oakley Meta HSTN, today we announced Oakley Meta Vanguard — Performance AI glasses that combine classic Oakley style with the durability to withstand high-intensity sports and rugged outdoor adventures.The battery can last up to nine hours of mixed use, helping you train for that marathon on a single charge. The camera is centered with a wider 122-degree field of view, and 3K video with stabilization means amazing footage whether you’re trailrunning or hitting the slopes.

We added two new capture modes — Hyperlapse and Slow Motion — so you can capture your epic adventures in new ways. And not to worry: Those capture modes are available on Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) and Oakley Meta HSTNs, too, so you’ve got options.

The open-ear speakers are our most powerful yet — six decibels louder than Oakley Meta HSTN. Combine that with our advanced wind noise reduction, and they’re great for running and biking in up to 30mph winds.

We’re integrating Garmin and Strava with the Meta AI app to take your performance to the next level. You’ll be able to get real-time stats on the fly, completely hands-free, and Meta AI will give you workout summaries to help you track your progress over time.

We also built a new autocapture feature with Garmin that triggers your glasses to capture footage automatically based on your workout stats and milestones. When you hit a set distance or get a burst of speed, your glasses can grab a hands-free video without you even having to ask. And if you pair the Meta AI app with Garmin or Strava, you can even overlay performance stats on your videos before sharing them for bonus bragging rights.

With an IP67 rating, Oakley Meta Vanguard is definitely sweatproof and can even withstand temporary submersion in up to a meter of water. And they’re designed with swappable Oakley® PRIZM™ Shield Lenses, so you can customize your look and optimize for various lighting conditions.

Pre-orders are open now, for $499 USD, and they’ll hit shelves October 21. Learn more.

Meta Ray-Ban Display: A Window Into the Future, Today

We introduced our first AI glasses with a high-resolution monocular display, which combine iconic Ray-Ban style with our brand-new Meta Neural Band.The display itself — which is large enough to read text messages or watch a small video — is slightly offset to avoid disrupting your view, and it disappears after a few seconds when not in use so it doesn’t distract you. At 42 pixels per degree (ppd), it’s higher resolution than any of our consumer VR headsets. And with a custom light engine and waveguide delivering brightness up to 5,000 nits, it works great both indoors and outside — even on bright, sunny days.

And each pair of Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses comes with a Meta Neural Band. With 18 hours of battery life and a comfortable, water-resistant form factor, it’s a true scientific breakthrough, letting you silently control your Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses with subtle hand gestures. We’ve been talking about our research investment in surface electromyography (sEMG) since 2021. We showed the world this tech could work with our Orion product prototype at last year’s Connect, and we published an update in Nature that details our most recent research findings. We’re thrilled to unveil this new wristworn product that puts seamless, intuitive control of your AI glasses quite literally at your fingertips.

Meta Ray-Ban Display will be available for purchase September 30 for $799 USD, which includes the Meta Neural Band. You can sign up for a demo and find your perfect pair at select Best Buy, LensCrafters, and Ray-Ban Store locations in the US. Learn more.

AI Glasses for Good

Whether you’re capturing the moment hands-free while staying fully present, getting more information about the world around you on the fly, or making calls to friends and family, our AI glasses help keep you connected to the people and things that matter most.

We were so excited to learn that Blind and Low-Vision users and Blinded Veterans across America are using our AI glasses to experience the world more independently. They’re using Meta AI to describe their surroundings into audio descriptions, which lets them find things in a room, identify what’s in front of them, or read food labels in the grocery store. In fact, we’ve learned that VA Blind Rehabilitation Centers are issuing Ray-Ban Meta glasses to support Blind and Low-Vision Veterans. That’s why the Blinded Veterans Association is developing a guide to teach them how to use the glasses to help with daily living and to navigate the world with greater autonomy, confidence, and connection.

Last year at Connect, we announced our partnership with Be My Eyes, which connects people who are Blind or have Low Vision with sighted volunteers who then “see” on their behalf through the Ray-Ban Meta glasses and help talk them through various tasks. Since then, people have used their Ray-Ban Meta glasses to connect with volunteers hands-free to help them shop for groceries, cook a meal at home, pick out a birthday card, and more. With the continued expansion of Ray-Ban Meta into new markets, our Be My Eyes integration is becoming available in more and more new countries and languages with even more coming soon. And we’re making it easier to use by tapping on the side of the glasses rather than saying, “Hey Meta, call a volunteer,” out loud.

Metaverse Momentum

We’re hard at work advancing the state of the art in augmented and virtual reality, too, and where those technologies meet AI — that’s where you’ll find the metaverse.

Our vision for the future is a world where anyone anywhere can imagine a character, a scene, or an entire world and create it from scratch. There’s still a lot of work to do, but we’re making progress. In fact, we’re not far off from being able to create compelling 3D content as easily as you can ask Meta AI a question today. And that stands to transform not just the imagery and videos we see on platforms like Instagram and Facebook, but also the possibilities of VR and AR, too.

Foundational Infrastructure: Meta Horizon Engine & Meta Horizon Studio

Meta Horizon Engine has been built from scratch and optimized to help bring the metaverse to life. It powers better graphics, faster performance, and more advanced worlds. Developers and creators will be able to use it to easily generate nearly infinite connected spaces with realistic physics and interactions.We introduced Meta Horizon Studio, a new editor and hub for creator capabilities. It includes the generative AI tools we’ve added over the last year that let creators generate mesh, textures, TypeScript, audio, skyboxes, and more with simple text prompts, so they can make high-quality worlds in a fraction of the time. And soon, we’ll add an agentic AI assistant to stitch together different tools and make the creation process even faster and easier.

Using Horizon Engine, we built a new Immersive Home for VR. You can customize it by pinning apps in different spots. And you can jump straight from your home to a series of interconnected worlds. Thanks to Horizon Engine, it’s 4x faster to load and render new worlds, so it takes just a few seconds.

Horizon Engine also enables much greater concurrency, so more people can enjoy the same world at the same time. We can now support 100+ people in a single space — 5x more than our previous engine could handle. Now the vibes match the experience, whether you’re catching a concert with a huge crowd in our new Arena or meeting up with friends in Horizon Central to explore new worlds.

And eventually, you’ll be able to seamlessly incorporate photorealistic spaces in worlds, too. Last year at Connect, we introduced a demo of Hyperscape, which uses Gaussian Splatting, cloud rendering, and streaming to make these types of spaces viewable on Meta Quest 3 and 3S headsets. And today, we’re rolling out Hyperscape Capture in Early Access, so you’ll be able to use your Quest to scan a room in just a few minutes and then turn that into an immersive, photorealistic world of your own.

Entertainment on the Horizon

Quest continues to have the best slate of VR games, and it keeps getting better. Marvel’s Deadpool VR, ILM’s Star Wars: Beyond Victory, Resolution Games’ Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked, and nDreams Elevation’s Reach are all launching this fall. And entertainment all-up continues to grow in popularity. VR lets you enjoy your favorite content on a massive screen you can bring with you anywhere. And new formats are emerging that incorporate immersive elements to make the experience more magical.

That’s why we’re launching a new entertainment hub called Meta Horizon TV.* We’re partnering with some big names to bring the best in movies, TV, live sports, music, and more direct to your headset. And our upcoming platform investments will eliminate letterboxing, displaying media in a correctly sized window based on its aspect ratio. That means you’ll get an optimal viewing experience, as the director originally intended.

Disney+ is coming to Quest, including content from ESPN and Hulu, and will be available in the Meta Horizon Store and Meta Horizon TV. And we’re partnering with Universal Pictures, Nexus Studios, and iconic horror company Blumhouse, so you can watch movies like M3GAN and The Black Phone with immersive special effects you won’t find anywhere else.

Meta Horizon TV supports Dolby Atmos sound, with support for Dolby Vision coming later this year. That means rich colors, crisp details, and spatial sound for a more immersive experience than a traditional TV can deliver.

Finally, as an extension of our partnership with James Cameron’s Lightstorm Vision, we’re thrilled to share that an exclusive 3D clip of Avatar: Fire and Ash is available now in Meta Horizon TV for a limited time — so go check it out now! This is just the beginning of how fans can experience Pandora like never before on Quest, following the film’s theatrical release this December.

Future Focus

The next computing platform continues to come into focus. VR headsets let us immerse ourselves in interactive worlds and experience best-in-class entertainment on a larger than life screen. AI glasses connect us to real-world superpowers as we move throughout the day, tapping into a wealth of information while staying present in the moment. And AR glasses will overlay rich digital content on top of our view of the physical world, opening up the door for new adventures we haven’t even dreamt of yet.
Here’s to another year of progress building the future of human connection. We’ll see you tomorrow for a recap of the day two keynote as Connect continues.


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