Dear MSK Community,
The power and promise of artificial intelligence (AI) are on my mind every day as we chart the course for MSK’s future.
AI’s anticipated transformation of nearly every aspect of our lives — including cancer care — fills me with excitement, yet I am deeply aware of the responsibility we all carry as we explore its potential for good. We’re seeing patients increasingly turn to AI chatbots to learn more about their diagnoses, but we know that AI systems, while powerful, aren’t perfect. That’s why we’re moving forward with both enthusiasm and caution, integrating AI thoughtfully to fulfill our mission of ending cancer for life. Here’s what it looks like in practice so far:
- In the clinic, AI is transforming how we care for you. It’s helping us to detect cancer earlier through advanced imaging analysis and to target radiation therapy with greater precision. Automatic notetaking makes it possible for our care teams to spend more time with you and less time on paperwork.
- In the lab, as research has become more data intensive, MSK scientists have been using machine learning and other types of AI to analyze vast amounts of information. These tools will be increasingly important for long-term initiatives like the Marie Josée and Henry Kravis Cancer Ecosystems Project, focused on the critical role that the environment surrounding cancer cells plays in the development and spread of the disease.
- Behind the scenes, AI is streamlining everything from scheduling appointments to routine administrative tasks, making MSK more efficient and better able to expand our impact in the community and beyond.
Above all, this technology frees our people to do the work that matters most — caring for our patients and reaching for the next breakthrough discovery. These are profoundly human pursuits, which you’ll read about in this issue of MSK News.
You’ll meet Tommy, a student athlete whose leukemia diagnosis was met with such extraordinary care that his grateful father wrote a letter thanking all 50 members of the MSK Kids team who saved his son.
You’ll learn how we support devoted caregivers like Keisha, whose brother moved in with her when he was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer, so she could do everything in her power to help him.
And you’ll be moved by the story of Kassandra, who was 17 weeks pregnant when she came to MSK for care that saved her life, protected her unborn baby, and sustained her throughout an uncertain and emotional journey.
These stories illuminate a fundamental truth: Behind every data set is a person and a family. The latest technology is simply a means to an end — helping our patients live better, longer so they can enjoy more life with their loved ones.
At MSK, artificial intelligence doesn’t replace the human touch — it deepens it.
With gratitude for your trust in us,
Selwyn M. Vickers, MD, FACS
President and Chief Executive Officer