AI bests human experts at detecting Breast Cancer to help save lives
As the quality and reliability of new AI models improve the technology's power to revolutionise healthcare is becoming clear.
Key takeaways
- Recently Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been getting better at diagnosing everything from dementia and depression, to lung disease, including Coronavirus, heart disease, and even common-a-garden disease and PTSD.
- In the meantime though Google Health say the potential improvements aren’t only in medical outcomes though.
- For example, in the UK mammograms are read by two radiologists.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2020) 'AI bests human experts at detecting Breast Cancer to help save lives', 311 Institute, 18 April. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/ai-bests-human-experts-at-detecting-breast-cancers-to-help-save-lives/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Recently Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been getting better at diagnosing everything from dementia and depression, to lung disease, including Coronavirus, heart disease, and even common-a-garden disease and PTSD. And now, in addition to being able to diagnose pancreatic and skin cancer, Google have just announced that’s their AI is now better than human radiologists at diagnosing breast cancer, according to study Nature where Google Health programmers explained their findings and methods.
To accomplish their goal Google used a database of mammogram images called OPTIMAM which they licensed from Northwestern University, and in both the UK and the US, where the datasets originated, mammograms are recommended at regular intervals once someone has reached a certain age.
Mammogram images are taken by technicians, then reviewed and interpreted by radiologists - the same as X-rays or ultrasound imagery, and Google Health found that their trained algorithm identified breast cancer’s more accurately than trained human radiologists.
“We show an absolute reduction of 5.7% and 1.2% in false positives and 9.4% and 2.7% in false negatives compared to human radiologists,” the study says. That means the algorithm did a better job of both finding more cancers and correctly identifying cancers. But that said it’s not clear how well this will work in the real world where early breast cancers are over diagnosed, leading to over treatment that can cause health complications in people who would otherwise never need treatment.
In the meantime though Google Health say the potential improvements aren’t only in medical outcomes though. For example, in the UK mammograms are read by two radiologists. Google Health compared its algorithm’s results with the first human reader’s results in order to see if they came to the same conclusion, and they say they believe a well-made algorithm could eliminate the need for a second radiologist which would save a vast majority of the time and save money and time for healthcare systems that are more and more burdened. And, if they’re ultimately successful, then hopefully a medical system that combines human smarts with AI analysis will one day help us defeat one of the most deadliest forms of cancer in human history.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
As the quality and reliability of new AI models improve the technology's power to revolutionise healthcare is becoming clear.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- early breast cancers are over diagnosed bcaction.org
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 18 April 2020. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2020). AI bests human experts at detecting Breast Cancer to help save lives. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/ai-bests-human-experts-at-detecting-breast-cancers-to-help-save-lives/
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