Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Radiology market analysts for the past several years have marveled at the rapid proliferation of startup companies in the artificial intelligence (AI) space. Fueled by a seemingly endless flow of venture capital funding, AI developers have sprouted up across the landscape with an explosion of new tools for addressing the many challenges of medical imaging.
But there may be signs that the easy-money party could be ending for AI developers. This past week, two news stories broke indicating that the AI balloon could be coming back to earth.
In the first story, reports have surfaced once again that IBM could be exploring a sale of its Watson Health business. IBM created the business in 2015 to find a home in healthcare for its powerful Watson AI algorithm, but the division reportedly is still unprofitable.
In other news, Senior Editor Erik L. Ridley wrote about how AI developer MaxQ is shifting gears away from commercializing AI algorithms that perform image analysis to ones that address quality-of-care issues across the healthcare enterprise.
Do the stories represent the leading edge of a broader industry trend? Or are they unrelated? Only time will tell.
Get these stories and more -- including an article on an AI algorithm designed to stratify COVID-19 patients based on their x-rays -- in our Artificial Intelligence Community.
Photon-counting CT
Apart from AI, photon-counting CT probably was the topic that created the most buzz at RSNA 2021. Since then, new research continues to come to light illustrating the potential value of this new technology.
For example, check out our article on how photon-counting CT improves reader confidence and reduces radiation dose when diagnosing interstitial pneumonia.
Elsewhere in the world of CT, a new study has found that revisions made in 2021 by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force to its guidelines for CT lung cancer screening should improve access for African Americans. Another recent study found that using AI to analyze CT lung screening exams could speed up workflow for screening programs.
Get these stories and more in our CT Community.
View our AI webinar
Finally, thank you if you were one of the hundreds of attendees who checked in to our January 12 webinar on AI and clinical radiology. If you weren't able to make it, don't despair -- you can view the webinar on demand for free. Thanks also to our panelists, Dr. Erik Ranschaert, PhD; Dr. Geraldine McGinty; and Wiro Niessen, PhD. Mark your calendars for our next webinar, with a focus on neuroradiology, on February 10.
As a final note, AuntMinnie.com will not be publishing on Monday, January 17, to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. See you Tuesday.
