Skip to Content
Artificial intelligence

AI Could Diagnose Your Heart Attack on the Phone—Even If You’re Not the Caller

January 12, 2018

An AI that listens in on 911 calls in Denmark will diagnose heart attacks, from voices and other background sounds, better than dispatchers can.

How it works: When someone calls for an ambulance in Copenhagen, an AI assistant called Corti will be listening in. Using sound-recognition software, it will analyze words and background noises—like a victim’s unusual breathing, even if that person is not the caller—to alert a dispatcher if it believes a heart attack is in progress.

Better than humans: As Fast Company points out, Danish dispatchers can recognize a heart attack over the phone about 73 percent of the time. An early study on Corti suggest the AI can spot one 95 percent of the time.

AI’s other diagnosis tricks: Machine-learning algorithms are helping doctors spot other medical issues early and more accurately too—from using voice analysis in diagnosing PTSD to identifying candidates for palliative care.

Deep Dive

Artificial intelligence

DeepMind’s cofounder: Generative AI is just a phase. What’s next is interactive AI.

“This is a profound moment in the history of technology,” says Mustafa Suleyman.

Deepfakes of Chinese influencers are livestreaming 24/7

With just a few minutes of sample video and $1,000, brands never have to stop selling their products.

AI hype is built on high test scores. Those tests are flawed.

With hopes and fears about the technology running wild, it's time to agree on what it can and can't do.

You need to talk to your kid about AI. Here are 6 things you should say.

As children start back at school this week, it’s not just ChatGPT you need to be thinking about.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.