AI can now outperform doctors at detecting breast cancer. Here's why it won't replace them.

Breast cancer affects way too many of us. In the US, one in eight women will develop it in their lifetimes. But encouraging new research shows that artificial intelligence can help with early detection. An AI system developed by Google Health, Google-owned DeepMind, and several medical centers is so good at detecting breast cancer that it can outperform actual doctors, according to a paper published this week in the journal Nature. The AI analyzes mammograms -- the X-rays commonly used to check for breast cancer -- to determine whether the disease is present. Researchers found that the AI system reduced false positives by 5.7 percent for US women -- a significant improvement, when you consider how distressing it would be to be told you have cancer when you actually do not.