Vast majority of hospitals say they have an AI strategy, up from just half last year

AI technologies have also caught the attention of the medical device industry. GE Healthcare, Medtronic and Philips are among top medtechs investing in AI and machine learning, with hopes that the technology will improve diagnosing and treating patients for a wide range of health conditions. Medtronic is focused on AI-aided technologies that would support robotics, navigation, imaging and pre-operative planning for spine surgery. The medtech giant in November acquired French spinal surgery company Medicrea, gaining access to an AI database of more than 5,000 surgical cases. And in December, Philips announced a $2.8 billion deal to buy BioTelemetry, which specializes in remote cardiac diagnostics and monitoring, including wearable heart monitors and AI-based data analytics. The survey includes some of the latest data suggesting a surge in prioritization for such investments, particularly in non-clinical applications as hospitals look to streamline back-end operations to cut costs.