Colonoscopy is the universal standard in preventing and detecting colorectal cancer, but the procedure has its limitations. Mayo Clinic researchers are now using artificial intelligence (AI) systems to help increase polyp detection during colonoscopies and identify disease at an early stage.

Like facial recognition software that recognizes faces, this AI tool is being trained to recognize polyps. It works alongside the physician during a colonoscopy, scanning the video feed and drawing boxes around polyps that may otherwise have been overlooked due to their subtleness.

Researchers in the Mayo Clinic GI AI Lab are also looking at ways to apply AI technology to other gastrointestinal cancers and identify gaps that could be filled using AI solutions.

Read more in Mayo Clinic’s research magazine, Discovery’s Edge.