Artificial intelligence could provide the “ultimate second opinion” on medical conditions.
Tests using AI software showed that it is capable of diagnosing issues at least as accurately as doctors using X-rays 94 per cent of the time.
The technology can scan X-rays as soon as they are taken and is capable of flagging more serious conditions immediately.
A joint study by Warwick University and King’s College London suggests that AI could prove instrumental in avoiding human error when checking patients’ results.
Dr. Giovanni Montana, professor of data science at Warwick University and lead author of the research, said: “This programme has been trained on millions of X-rays and is highly accurate.
“It eliminates the elements of human error, which is unavoidable, and bias. If a patient is referred for an X-ray with a heart problem, doctors will inevitably focus on the heart over the lungs.
“This is totally understandable but runs the risk of undetected problems in other areas. This AI eliminates that human bias – it’s the ultimate second opinion.”
