Microsoft has announced collaborations with Mass General Brigham and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, along with UW Health, to advance AI in medical imaging.

These partnerships will focus on developing high-performing AI foundation models that enhance the capabilities of the Microsoft Azure AI platform and the Nuance suite of radiology applications, with the goal of creating copilot imaging applications that aid radiologists in their work.

The collaboration will explore how advanced algorithms can assist in interpreting medical images, report generation, disease classification, and data analysis.

“Foundation models fine-tuned on Mass General Brigham’s vast multimodal longitudinal data assets can enable a shorter development cycle of AI/ML-based software as a medical device and other clinical applications,” said Keith J. Dreyer, chief data science officer and chief imaging officer at Mass General Brigham.

The partnerships will adhere to Microsoft’s Responsible AI principles, prioritizing patient privacy and transparency. These efforts align with the company's commitment to responsible AI development, ensuring trust and reliability in AI applications.

Peter Durlach, corporate vice president of Microsoft Health and Life Sciences, underscored the importance of these collaborations in advancing medical imaging and patient care. “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,” Durlach said.