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Real World: Health

How AI Is Helping Doctors Read Medical Scans

AI tools are being used to help doctors read X-rays, mammograms and other scans. More than 1,400 AI medical devices have been authorised in the USA alone, most of them for imaging, and large trials, such as one in England's NHS breast screening programme, are testing them. A human expert still makes the final decision.

Last checked 16 October 2026. Every figure on this page links to its source below.

What Is AI Doing With Medical Scans?

A scan such as a mammogram or chest X-ray is a picture. AI software can be trained on very large numbers of past scans so it learns what changes, such as a small shadow, can be a sign of illness. It then marks areas for a doctor to look at, or gives a score for how likely it is that something needs checking.

That is the main way AI is used in hospitals today. It works as a second pair of eyes. It does not replace the radiologist, the specialist doctor who reads scans.

How Many AI Medical Tools Are Approved In The USA?

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) keeps a public list of AI-enabled medical devices that are allowed to be sold in the USA. Its update covering decisions to the end of 2025 lists 1,451 devices. Of these, 1,104 are for radiology, the branch of medicine that deals with scans. That is about three in every four.

FDA-authorised AI medical devices, to the end of 2025

Radiology (scans and imaging)1,104
All other areas of medicine347
Source: FDA AI-Enabled Medical Device List, as reported by The Imaging Wire (March 2026). Total: 1,451 devices.

Some devices on the list are standalone software. Others are scanners with AI built in. Being on the list means the FDA has authorised the device for sale. It does not mean your local hospital uses it.

What Is The NHS Breast Screening Trial?

In England, every breast screening image is normally looked at by two NHS experts. On 4 February 2025 the Department of Health and Social Care announced the EDITH trial to test whether AI can help. It is backed by £11 million (about US$14 million) of government money through the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

The government said nearly 700,000 women would take part at 30 screening sites. The trial's official research summary gives a planned figure of 660,000 women from 30 centres in England.

Some women will have standard screening. Others will have AI-assisted screening, tested in two ways. In one, AI checks the images after the NHS expert, looking for anything missed. In the other, AI goes first and sorts images by risk. In every case a human expert reads the images, and final decisions are made by people.

Can I Say No To AI Reading My Scan?

For the EDITH trial, yes. The research summary says women are told about the study in their screening invitation letter and can opt out if they would rather their images were not looked at with the help of AI.

Women will be followed up for four years after their screening through the screening programme and cancer records. So the full results are some years away.

What It Means For You

USA

If you have a scan, you can ask whether AI software was used to help read it. A doctor is still responsible for the result. Your doctor or the imaging centre is the right place to ask questions, not a chatbot.

UK

If you are invited for NHS breast screening at a trial site, your letter will explain the study. Keep going to screening when you are invited. If you would prefer AI not to be used, the letter tells you how to opt out.

For general health questions, our guide on using AI for health questions safely explains what chatbots can and cannot do.

Common Questions

Does AI decide if I have cancer?

No. In the NHS EDITH trial, every image is read by a human expert and final decisions are made by people. AI marks areas or sorts images by risk to help them.

Is AI already used in US hospitals?

The FDA has authorised 1,451 AI-enabled medical devices up to the end of 2025, and 1,104 are for scans and imaging. Whether your hospital uses one depends on the hospital, so ask.

When will the NHS trial results be known?

Not for some years. Women are followed for four years after their screening to see if any cancers develop later.

Should I upload my own scans to a chatbot?

We would not. Medical images are sensitive personal data, and general chatbots are not approved medical devices. Talk to your doctor instead.

New to all this? Our free AI Starter Guide walks you through the basics, and you can print it.

Read Next

Sources

Last checked 16 October 2026.

Updated 19 October 2026