How to become a world leader in AI and cancer treatment

This week, the world was surprised by DeepSeek, a Chinese technology company challenging Western key players in artificial intelligence (AI). China is investing heavily in developing advanced AI models that are already starting to capture market shares from American and European companies. This is not just a technological race—it is a strategic battle to own the technological platforms of the future.

If we do not act quickly and strategically, Norway risks becoming marginalised in a global AI landscape where superpowers set the rules.

Cancer as a Vanguard

Why are we talking about the fight against cancer in the same breath as artificial intelligence? Because cancer is a widespread disease, affecting more and more people, and because the economic costs in Norway alone are estimated to be tens of billions of kroner each year. At the same time, Norway possesses unique health registries that could revolutionise cancer treatment globally. Today, this health data is gathering dust in bureaucratic processes, while the world desperately searches for better, cheaper, and more precise ways to treat cancer.

In Norway, we have something as unique as the life stories of every citizen, which we can track through personal identification numbers, across various health registries from birth to death, along with detailed medical histories if one develops cancer. We have health data that can reveal who is at risk of developing cancer, which treatments work, and how we can reduce unnecessary side effects or long-term health issues. This is data the rest of the world can only dream of.

At a time when AI needs reliable data to train algorithms, our registries are the very definition of the gold standard. In Norway, we also have well-established public-private partnerships in precision medicine for cancer, which we can leverage to develop both data and expertise.

But what are our politicians doing? Sitting quietly and waiting. Other countries, like the USA and now China, are jumping on the AI train and building global leadership in healthcare. While our politicians hesitate, we are not just losing money—we are losing lives.

Norway's Stargate

Several partners now want to start a project called NEXTMAP, which demonstrates how data and expertise should be combined and unified to achieve better cancer treatment and prevention. Some of us have authored this op-ed and applied to the Research Council of Norway for funding for the project, where researchers, companies, and hospitals from across Norway will collect health data, develop advanced AI models, and collaborate with corporate giants like Google, NEC, and AstraZeneca. This is the model that could revolutionise cancer treatment, help predict serious illnesses, tailor treatments, and optimise our resources.

But NEXTMAP is just the beginning. Why isn't Norway already Europe's epicentre for AI in cancer treatment? Why are we not leading the EU's Cancer Mission with our superior data?

The EU's Cancer Mission aims to save three million European lives by 2030. Norway can be the driving force behind this initiative, but we must dare to think bigger, share data securely, and collaborate more closely with Europe.

OpenAI's Stargate project shows the power of collaboration between data and technology. Norway already has the tools—we can use our health data as a global standard for AI models in healthcare. But it requires action. It requires investment. It requires political determination.

This opinion piece was originally published in the national newspaper Dagens Medisin in Norwegian. Read it here: Hvordan bli verdensledende innen KI og kreft

Co-authors:

Tarjei Sveinsgjerd Hveem, Director of the Institute for Cancer Genetics and Informatics, Oslo University Hospital

Ole Christian Lingjærde, Head of the Department of Informatics, University of Oslo

Ketil Widerberg, general manager of Oslo Cancer Cluster

Sigbjørn Smeland, Director of The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital

Manuela Zucknick, Director of Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology (OCBE), University of Oslo/Oslo University Hospital