AI could 'hack' a cancer phase 3 trial, oncologist Vinay Prasad argues
VPrasadMDMPH · x · 2026-10-13
Responding to Terence Tao's critique of AI in cancer medicine, oncologist Vinay Prasad argues AI could indeed make a failing drug win a phase 3 trial — but only by exploiting flaws that already exist:
- Data falsification: has happened before; science runs on trust with no system verifying primary study reports.
- Informative censoring: pairing a PFS endpoint with a drug that makes sicker patients skip future scans.
- Fake OS readouts via subpar control arms or inappropriate post-protocol care.
- Toxicity dropouts handled with optimistic imputations.
His key point: none of this requires AI — the trial system's lack of verification is the real vulnerability, and AI just scales it.
Related event: Oncologist Fires Back at Terence Tao Over AI in Cancer Medicine(3 posts)→
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