UCLA uses artificial intelligence to create virtual radiology advisor

Interventional radiologists at the UCLA Medical Center are leveraging artificial intelligence to create a "chatbot" that automatically communicates with referring clinicians, providing them with evidence-based answers to frequently asked questions. Currently, the AI-powered prototype is being tested by a small UCLA team of hospitalists, radiation oncologists and interventional radiologists. The machine learning application, which acts like a virtual radiology assistant, enables clinicians to rapidly access valuable information while enabling them to perform other duties and to focus on patient care. The information is delivered in multiple formats, including relevant websites, infographics, and subprograms within the application. And if the tool determines that an answer requires a human response, contact information for an actual interventional radiologist is provided.