Had a 10-minute chat with a radiologist on a train that changed my mind about AI diagnosis tools

I used to think AI reading X-rays was a gimmick, like those apps that claim to identify mushrooms. But I sat next to this radiologist Dr. Patel on the Amtrak from Philly to NYC last month. He showed me on his laptop how the AI caught a 2mm lung nodule he almost missed on a routine chest scan. Said it's like having a second pair of eyes that never gets tired. Now I'm not saying it replaces doctors, but hearing a guy who's done this for 20 years call it 'genuinely helpful' made me rethink my whole stance. Has anyone here actually used one of these tools at work?

3 comments

3 Comments

lunag301mo ago

My buddy who works nights at a hospital said the same thing. He told me the AI flagged something on a scan that three different residents had missed during the overnight shift. Said it's not perfect but it catches stuff when everyone's running on coffee and fumes.

young.kim1mo ago

That "never gets tired" part sounds nice but what happens when it's wrong?

wesley1811mo ago

Man, that's a really cool story. It's one thing to hear a sales pitch about AI, but hearing it from a doctor who's actually using it day to day (and who almost missed something himself) carries a lot more weight. I can totally see why that would change your mind, it's a completely different kind of trust when it comes from a practitioner. That "second pair of eyes that never gets tired" line really sticks with you, too.