Patients' illnesses could soon be diagnosed by AI, NHS leaders say

Computers could start diagnosing patients' illnesses within the next few years as artificial intelligence increasingly ousts doctors from their traditional roles, NHS leaders believe. Machines may soon be able to read X-rays and analyse samples of diseased tissue, such as lumps that can indicate the presence of breast cancer, the NHS's top doctor said. NHS England plans to invest more of its £120bn budget in AI to speed up its application to medicine and the health service, especially the task of analysing "huge swaths" of the information collected from patients about their symptoms. "We know from a number of studies that have been done that in, certain circumstances, AI is better than doctors at diagnosing certain conditions," said Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, the organisation's national medical director. "It's possible that certain types – and there are many different types of AI – will be able to read X-rays. I've been told by people who are developing this sort of stuff that's ...