Healthtech: Facebook developing AI to make MRI scans 10 times faster Internet of Business

Evidence that Facebook has ambitions beyond its core business of social networking emerged this week, with technology development that stands to benefit society as a whole. Facebook has collaborated with NYU School of Medicine's Department of Radiology to launch fastMRI, a new research project that will investigate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to make magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans up to 10 times faster. If the project is successful, it will make MRI technology available to more people, expanding access to this key diagnostic tool, according to an announcement on Code, Facebook's development blog. MRI scanners provide doctors and patients with images that typically show a greater level of detail in soft tissues -- such as organs and blood vessels -- than is captured by other forms of medical imaging. But they are relatively slow, taking anywhere from 15 minutes to over an hour, compared with less than a second or up to a minute, respectively, for X-ray and CT scans.