Welcome back. When it’s not busy authorizing Covid-19 vaccinations, the Food and Drug Administration is racing to review a surge of artificial-intelligence-enabled cancer detection and diagnosis tools. The agency has been working its way through hundreds of AI-powered systems, authorizing more than 100 in the last 20 months or so. 

The latest to get the green light is a prostate cancer diagnosis tool developed by New York startup Paige.AI Inc. In trials, the system accurately spotted signs of cancer 96.8% of the time, compared with 89.5% by pathologists. 

That difference matters. The American Cancer Society estimates there will be about 250,000 new cases of prostate cancer in the U.S. this year, and more than 34,000 deaths. The sooner cancer is detected, the sooner treatments can be administered: “When AI is combined with traditional screenings or surveillance methods, it could help find problems early on, when they may be easier to treat,” said Bakul Patel, director of the FDA’s Digital Health Center of Excellence.

For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration has authorized the use of an AI application designed to help doctors diagnose prostate cancer, part of a broader effort by health regulators to review a growing number of AI-based medical systems, WSJ's John McCormick reports.

Better detection. Paige Prostate, a software tool developed by New York startup Paige.AI Inc., uses neural network technology designed to identify areas of interest in prostate biopsies, with the potential to help increase the identification of cancerous tissues, the FDA said.

Medical checklist. The FDA’s website lists more than 300 that are marketed in the U.S., with the FDA passing about half of them in just the last 20 months or so.

Other tools. Google says an AI system developed by its health research unit can outperform radiologists at detecting breast cancer, while Intel Corp. has worked on a system designed to make it easier for radiologists to spot brain tumors.

The PGA of America is undergoing a multiyear technology overhaul, aiming to leverage AI, analytics and other advanced digital tools in pursuing its mandate to promote the game of golf, while hosting pro championships like last weekend’s Ryder Cup, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Better scorecard. The advanced tools help the nonprofit to offer pro golf fans real-time golf scores and stats, live crowd and course maps, and other data services.

The use of AI in screening and selecting job candidates is coming under fire for a lack of transparency, an issue that could be addressed by letting job seekers see the factors that go into hiring decisions, Julia Stoyanovich, director of New York University’s Center for Responsible AI, writes in The Wall Street Journal. 

Why it’s a problem. AI’s widespread use in hiring far outpaces our collective ability to keep it in check by preventing résumé screeners from picking up irrelevant or even discriminatory patterns from historical data, Ms. Stoyanovich says.

How it can work. When people apply for a job, they would see a list of the hiring criteria, such as degree requirements, specific skills and the number of years of experience, so that they know precisely what a company is looking for, she says.

When it’s not fit. If the applicant is rejected, the AI will present him or her with another list, showing where the criteria wasn't met or compared unfavorably to other applicants—the reasoning behind the decision.

Smart chips have become a strategic component for auto makers, causing a run-up in inventories and a global shortage that has larger manufacturers looking at the possibility of making their own chips, a move set to transform the tech market, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Bumpy roads. Toyota, General Motors and other manufacturers have announced sweeping reductions to their fall production schedules, stemming from a dearth of semiconductors, revealing an unforeseen weakness in the “just-in-time” automotive supply chain.

New direction. Volkswagen has said it would start developing its own chips for autonomous vehicles, while Mercedes-Benz has forged a partnership with chip maker Nvidia.

Along for the ride. Intel Chief Executive Pat Gelsinger say he wants to provide its own chips to auto makers, while creating new plants to build their custom designs.

Library of Congress names tech leader. The world’s largest library tapped Judith Conklin, its current deputy tech chief, as chief information officer, as it experiments with AI and other digital projects. (The Wall Street Journal)

Facebook CTO steps down. Mike Schroepfer, Facebook Inc.’s longtime chief technology officer, is stepping aside to become the social-media giant’s first senior fellow, focused on overseeing the development of AI, among other things. (The Wall Street Journal)

In-house teams take AI lead. More than 60% of corporate technology leaders surveyed by ZDNet said their AI systems are being developed and maintained by staff information-technology workers. (ZDNet) 

Autotuning Beethoven. A group of scientists, engineers and musicalogists used AI to complete Ludwig von Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which was left unfinished when the German classical music composer died in 1827, by training a machine-learning algorithm on his entire body of work and creative process. (Smithsonian Magazine) 

Air Force tech leader fears corrupt data. Lt. Gen. Mary F. O’Brien, the service’s deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and cyber effects operations, says the Air Force needs to better prepare to defend AI programs and algorithms from adversaries that may seek to corrupt training data. (DefenseOne) 

Software Tool finds better EV batteries. Researchers at the University of Liverpool using an AI-powered collaboration platform designed to discover new materials found a new family of lithium-conducting solid electrolytes that offer longer range and increased safety for electric-vehicle batteries. (SciTechDaily) 

Researchers seek signs of autism. Supported by a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, researchers at West Virginia University are tapping AI in efforts to diagnosis autism spectrum disorder, using behavior-tracking technology and phenotyping to better understand autism patients’ behaviors and traits. (Times West Vigrinian) 

An administrative law judge is set to hear a case starting Tuesday brought against Amazon.com Inc. by a workers’ union claiming that two of the company’s employees were wrongly fired. (The Wall Street Journal)

Facebook Inc. said it would suspend plans for a version of its Instagram app tailored to children, a concession after lawmakers and others voiced concerns about the photo-sharing platform’s effects on young people’s mental health. (The Wall Street Journal)

One of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges said it would close all user accounts in mainland China by the end of the year, days after the country’s central bank declared all crypto-related transactions illegal. (The Wall Street Journal)

Alphabet Inc.’s Google started its appeal Monday to overturn a $5 billion antitrust fine imposed by the European Union, contending that its Android operating system for mobile devices has boosted competition rather than foreclosing it. (The Wall Street Journal)

Write to Enterprise Technology Editor Steven Rosenbush and Pro AI newsletter author Angus Loten.

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