The advancements to healthcare from applying artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are booming. One notable revolution has been AI’s application to medical imaging. This nascent technology is already dramatically improving the speed, accuracy and accessibility of diagnostic scans—including X-rays, CTs, MRIs and mammograms.
These advancements are not theoretical—they’re happening now and saving lives. And it’s exactly the kind of innovation American public policy should support.
Trained on millions of images, AI models applied to medical imaging are aiding radiologists in diagnostic tasks and becoming integrated into real-world clinical workflows. In some areas like early-stage breast and lung cancer detection, like MIT’s Mirai and Google’s mammography AI tools, these applications predict breast cancer risk up to five years in advance, helping clinicians intervene earlier and save more lives.
The benefits don’t stop at early detection. AI is also improving the speed of diagnosis, which is critical for treatment. Tools like Viz.ai and Aidoc alert doctors to strokes, brain bleeds and pulmonary embolisms in real time—automatically flagging results and helping emergency teams act faster. In care for health concerns like these, minutes matter. These systems are giving doctors the tools to move with life-saving urgency.
AI imaging is also expanding access to higher quality care. In many rural or underserved communities, there simply aren’t enough radiologists to meet demand. With cloud-based AI diagnostics, clinicians can upload scans and get results within minutes without waiting days for a specialist.
The impact is real: over 500 AI-enabled devices have already been approved by the FDA, with more than three-quarters of them focused on medical imaging. Top-tier hospitals like Mayo Clinic and UCSF are integrating AI into clinical workflows, reducing backlogs and helping patients get answers—and treatment—sooner.
As with any emerging technology, thoughtful, precise policy matters. While AI in medical imaging holds enormous promise, policymakers must ensure that regulations don’t inadvertently block life-saving innovation and applications. Burdensome, complex and inconsistent rules that vary across the U.S. risk creating a patchwork that stifles progress and raises costs for patients. Lawmakers should follow a regulatory approach that encourages innovation while filling the gaps as needed—one that allows innovators to improve AI models over time and supports nationwide adoption.
Medical imaging is another application of what AI and American innovation can achieve when we let entrepreneurs create to serve their communities with new tools and tech. Bureaucracy cannot be allowed to get in the way of lifesaving breakthroughs. As Rep. Jay Obernolte, a leader in the AI policymaking space, said at a recent conference: “The number one risk to emerging technology is the government.”
As we race toward a future where AI helps us detect, diagnose and defeat diseases, we need policies that clear the way—not create more red tape. Patients are waiting. Let’s not make them wait any longer.