Now, Lång and her colleagues have found that the AI approach also reduces the likelihood of people developing so-called interval cancers. They randomly assigned about half of the women to receive their standard round of breast cancer screening, where each mammogram is assessed by two radiologists. The women who received the AI-assisted screening were 12 per cent less likely, on average, to develop an interval cancer than the women who received the standard screening. So while radiologists might overlook small tumours that would develop into an interval cancer, the AI can spot them. By some estimates, AI assistance may be worth investing in if it cuts interval cancer rates by at least 5 per cent.