Better patient care is the main selling point used by AI vendors when marketing neuroimaging algorithms, followed closely by time savings. Farther down the list of benefits are lower costs and increased revenue for providers.
So says a new analysis in JACR that takes a close look at how FDA-cleared neuroimaging AI algorithms are marketed by vendors. It also includes several warning signs for both AI developers and clinicians.
AI is the most exciting technology to arrive in healthcare in decades, but questions percolate on whether AI developers are overhyping the technology. In the new analysis, researchers focused on marketing claims made for 59 AI neuroimaging algorithms cleared by the FDA from 2008 to 2022. Researchers analyzed FDA summaries and vendor websites, finding:
- For 69% of algorithms, vendors highlighted an improvement in quality of patient care, while time savings for clinicians were touted for 44%. Only 16% of algorithms were promoted as lowering costs, while just 11% were positioned as increasing revenue
- 50% of cleared neuroimaging algorithms were related to detection or quantification of stroke; of these, 41% were for intracranial hemorrhage, 31% for stroke brain perfusion, and 24% for detection of large vessel occlusion
- 41% of the algorithms were intended for use with non-contrast CT scans, 36% with MRI, 15% with CT perfusion, 14% with CT angiography, and the rest with MR perfusion and PET
- 90% of the algorithms studied were cleared in the last five years, and 42% since last year
The researchers further noted two caveats in AI marketing:
- There is a lack of publicly available data to support vendor claims about the value of their algorithms. Better transparency is needed to create trust and clinician engagement.
- The single-use-case nature of many AI algorithms raises questions about their economic viability. Many different algorithms would have to be implemented at a facility to ensure “a reasonable breadth of triage” for critical findings, and the financial burden of such integration is unclear.
The Takeaway
The new study offers intriguing insights into how AI algorithms are marketed by vendors, and how these efforts could be perceived by clinicians. The researchers note that financial pressure on AI developers may cause them to make “unintentional exaggerated claims” to recoup the cost of development; it is incumbent upon vendors to scrutinize their marketing activities to avoid overhyping AI technology.
