How Can We Be Sure Artificial Intelligence Is Safe For Medical Use?

Nurse practitioner Debra Brown guides patient Merdis Wells through a diabetic retinopathy exam at University Medical Center in New Orleans.

When Merdis Wells visited the diabetes clinic at the University Medical Center in New Orleans about a year ago, a nurse practitioner checked her eyes to look for signs of diabetic retinopathy, the most common cause of blindness.

At her next visit, in February of this year, artificial intelligence software made the call.

The clinic had just installed a system that’s designed to identify patients who need follow-up attention.