US-based technology company Microsoft has partnered with three US health systems to address radiology challenges by building medical imaging AI copilots.

The initiative aims to improve clinician efficiency in partnership with Mass General Brigham, the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and UW Health.

Researchers and clinicians from these health systems will work alongside Microsoft to advance multimodal foundation models, collaborating on their development, testing and validation.

By working with medical experts, Microsoft aims to 'democratise AI' and support researchers, life science organisations, hospitals and healthcare providers in developing new models and systems.

The partners will focus on developing multimodal AI foundation models built on the Microsoft Azure AI platform, extending the Nuance suite of radiology applications.

They plan to implement real-world use cases in clinical workflows using Nuance’s PowerScribe radiology reporting platform and the Nuance Precision Imaging Network. 

This technology is expected to improve patient experiences by reducing wait times for imaging results and expanding access to care.

Microsoft and its partners will explore how advanced algorithms and applications can help radiologists and clinicians interpret medical images.

These tools are also intended to help with report generation, disease classification and structured data analysis.

Microsoft Health and Life Sciences corporate vice-president Peter Durlach said: “Along with other industry partners, our joint efforts aim to leverage the power of imaging foundation models to improve experiences and workflow efficiency across the radiology ecosystem in a way that is reliable, transparent and secure.

“Together, we are not only advancing medical imaging but also helping deliver more accessible and better-quality patient care in a very resource-constrained environment.”

Earlier this year, Microsoft partnered with a consortium of healthcare providers to create a network for the responsible use of AI in healthcare.

The launch of the Trustworthy & Responsible AI Network (TRAIN) was announced at the HIMSS 2024 Global Health Conference in March.