Facebook, NYU team up to make MRI scans faster through AI

Facebook is working with the NYU School of Medicine to shorten the length of time patients must spend in MRI scanners.

Facebook's Artificial Intelligence Research (FAIR) group and the medical school's radiology department are investigating whether artificial intelligence can make magnetic resonance imaging scans up to 10 times faster.

Such a development would not only reduce patient discomfort – scans can last 15 minutes to an hour – but also free up MRIs for more patients. "If this effort is successful, it will make MRI technology available to more people, expanding access to this key diagnostic tool," the research team says in a blog post on the Facebook website.