M42, a global tech-enabled healthcare network, has launched Med42, a new open-access Clinical Large Language Model (LLM). The 70 billion parameter, generative artificial intelligence (AI) model is poised to transform the future of AI across the healthcare sector and create a direct impact on patient care outcomes.

Med42 provides high-quality answers to short and long-form medical questions. The model has been developed to exponentially enhance clinical decision-making and increase access to synthesised medical knowledge for healthcare professionals, patients and medical researchers through to regulators.

Med42 was trained using M42’s industry-leading curated dataset of medical knowledge. When tested on multiple healthcare-relevant datasets, the model outperforms larger closed models, like ChatGPT 3.5, and achieves a 72 per cent score, in a zero-shot evaluation, on the US Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Sample Exam questions.

Developed by M42’s Abu Dhabi-based team, Med42 was trained and fine-tuned with Cerebras in collaboration with Core42, a G42 company focused on enabling the delivery of national-scale AI and enterprise AI programmes. Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) researchers further evaluated the accuracy  of  the model.

Hasan Jasem Al Nowais, Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of M42, said: “Med42 will accelerate global access to healthcare knowledge and embodies our commitment to making a transformative impact across the healthcare sector. M42 is pushing the boundaries of healthcare innovation and charting a path towards more personalised, patient-centric care. The unique combination of M42’s world-class healthcare expertise and cutting-edge medical technologies allows us to impactfully contribute to the future of AI in healthcare – a future where AI is accessible to all while being rooted in ethics and prioritising the safety of users.

“The launch of Med42 firmly establishes and demonstrates the UAE’s prominent standing in the global generative AI space. We are grateful for the support from the Abu Dhabi Department of Health and Abu Dhabi’s wider technology ecosystem.”                                     

Med42 has the potential to revolutionise the pace of clinical decision-making, acting as an AI assistant for healthcare professionals. The capability of the model extends to developing personalised treatment plans by analysing a patient's medical history to identify the best course of treatment. Other use cases include helping doctors access insights faster, pharmacists decide on correct dosages and supporting scientists studying treatment options to review literature efficiently.

To further promote collaboration and enhancement of the generative AI model, Med42 is available for download on Hugging Face, allowing widespread testing, review and assessment by the scientific and developer community. Licensed on terms similar to Meta’s Llama 2 model, Med42 is free for non-commercial use and research – with appropriate controls on use, given the obvious risks that could arise when deploying AI in a healthcare context.

Ashish Koshy, Group Chief Operating Officer of M42, said: “Innovation isn't just about leading technologies. It is rooted in delivering impactful and safe solutions for real-world challenges. Med42 is not just a tool; it’s a platform for collaboration. M42 aims to catalyse global innovation in AI for healthcare, empowering experts across the globe to refine and expand the model's applications in various medical domains. Our partnerships with technology leaders, including Cerebras, enable us to bring this vision to life and achieve our long-term transformative objectives.”

The full-parameter fine-tuning of the largest Llama 2 model was successfully accomplished on Cerebras and G42’s Condor Galaxy 1 (CG-1) AI supercomputer. Rapid setup and reduced training time was made possible by the 82 terabytes of memory and the 54 million AI cores in the 64 Cerebras CS-2 systems inside of CG-1.

Andrew Feldman, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cerebras Systems, said: “Our strategic partnership with G42 and its portfolio companies is designed to change the AI landscape. Our collaboration has already delivered Condor Galaxy 1, the largest AI supercomputer in the world, as well as Jais, the leading Arabic LLM, to the community. Today, we helped bring another state-of-the-art LLM to the world, Med42, with huge benefits for the healthcare landscape.”

M42 is positioned to spearhead the transformation of the healthcare industry due to its access to medical and data-centric technologies, including genomics and AI, paired with its extensive portfolio of world-class patient services and network of state-of-the-art facilities to provide the highest level of personalised, precise and preventative care.