Mount Sinai's AI can diagnose COVID-19

We've seen AI detect different cancers, kidney illness and brain tumors. Now, researchers from Mount Sinai believe they are the first in the US to use AI, combined with imaging and clinical data, to diagnose COVID-19. In a paper published in Nature Medicine today, they explain how they used CT scans of the chest -- along with symptoms, age, bloodwork and possible contact with the virus -- to spot the coronavirus disease. "We were able to show that the AI model was as accurate as an experienced radiologist in diagnosing the disease, and even better in some cases where there was no clear sign of lung disease on CT," said one of the lead authors, Zahi Fayad, director of the BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute (BMEII) at the Icahn School of Medicine. The researchers note that scans don't always show lung diseases when a patient first presents symptoms and lab tests can take days to come back. The AI helps address both of those problems.