Alibaba DAMO Academy Collaborates with UN, Hospitals to Advance AI for Good Initiatives

Alibaba DAMO Academy, the global research arm of Alibaba Group, has entered into a strategic collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a specialised agency of the United Nations (UN) focused on information and communication technologies (ICTs). The partnership aims to promote the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in addressing pressing global challenges, particularly in the fields of healthcare, climate change, and scientific discovery.

Announced at the AI for Good Global Summit 2025, this collaboration will facilitate expert exchanges and knowledge-sharing mechanisms between the two organisations. It will also support initiatives of AI for Health, AI for Climate, and AI for Science through a series of joint activities, including online lectures and offline events. Additionally, both parties plan to explore cooperation in robotics and embodied intelligence, while deepening their work in AI and video technologies, contributing to global technological development, solution deployment, and standardisation.

As part of its broader commitment to advancing AI capacity building, Alibaba DAMO Academy has also joined the AI Skills Coalition, a global, open, trusted, and inclusive platform led by the United Nations. As a founding member, Alibaba DAMO Academy will support the Coalition’s mission to empower governments, businesses, and organisations—particularly those in less developed countries—to harness AI for sustainable development and good governance.

Advancing AI for Health in Singapore and Saudi Arabia

To advance AI for Health initiatives globally, Alibaba DAMO Academy has also announced a collaboration with NHG Health in Singapore to drive innovation in AI-powered medical research and clinical applications at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), one of the country’s largest multi-disciplinary hospitals.

This partnership leverages the combined expertise of both organisations in medical AI technology and scientific research. The focus is on enhancing early screening for conditions such as pancreatic cancer, osteoporosis, sarcopenia, breast cancer, and kidney masses. Through joint research, development, and external validation, the collaboration aims to expand access to AI-driven early detection tools, ultimately supporting the advancement of precision medicine and enabling more timely and effective treatments.

Additionally, Alibaba DAMO Academy will collaborate with Abdul Latif Jameel Health, the health division of the Saudi Arabia-based multinational enterprise Abdul Latif Jameel Group, to explore opportunities in AI-assisted diagnosis for cancers such as pancreatic, gastric, and esophageal cancer, chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and fatty liver disease, as well as acute conditions including acute aortic syndromes and pulmonary embolism.

This collaboration seeks to extend the benefits of medical AI to more people and regions by combining Alibaba DAMO Academy’s cutting-edge technology products with Abdul Latif Jameel Health’s extensive global network.

Recognition of Alibaba DAMO Academy’s Innovation in AI for Good

Alibaba DAMO Academy’s technological innovations have been acknowledged in the United Nation’s AI for Good Innovate for Impact Interim Report 2025.

Among its frontier AI solutions is Baguan  AI Weather Forecasting , which generates specialised weather indicators for applications in power energy, agricultural meteorology, low-altitude weather forecasting, and regional renewable energy planning.

Another notable achievement is the DAMO PANDA system (Pancreatic Cancer Detection with Artificial Intelligence), which uses deep learning to detect and classify pancreatic lesions with high accuracy using non-contrast CT scans. Recently, it developed DAMO GRAPE (Gastric Cancer Risk Assessment Procedure with Artificial Intelligence), a deep-learning framework that analyses 3D non-contrast CT scans to detect and segment gastric cancer with high sensitivity and specificity. These innovations exemplify Alibaba DAMO Academy’s commitment to leveraging AI for societal benefit and advancing the frontiers of science and healthcare globally.